Penn Center Scholars Program Empowers Local Youth
Introducing the Inaugural Penn Center Scholars
Penn Center is proud to welcome its inaugural class of scholars to the Penn Center Scholars Program. Each participant received a scholarship to assist with the cost of schoolbooks and essential academic supplies, helping provide the resources they need to begin the new school year prepared and confident.
As we embark on this inaugural program, Penn Center extends our heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to each of the students listed below.
We are excited to celebrate their achievements and support their continued educational journeys. We wish each of our Penn Center Scholars a fantastic start to the new school year. This is just the beginning.
We look forward to expanding the Penn Center Scholars Program in the future and creating opportunities to support even more students as they pursue their educational goals.
Jonathan Hill, South Carolina State University
I am currently attending South Carolina State University and I will be beginning my junior year in the fall. I'm majoring in studio arts with a concentration in digital media, which naturally leads into career paths like graphic design, commercial design, and animation. The time I've spent at the Penn Center York W. Bailey Museum has been a great learning opportunity where I've gotten hands on experience with design work and museum restoration.
Quinn DeRosa, Beaufort High School Alumni
My love for learning is what brought me to Penn Center. I'm sure I wouldn't have known any of this history existed if we hadn't moved to St Helena, SC, from Atlanta, GA. I like to try to read and write in my spare time. I have a passion for the arts and aspire to work in that field. This isn't my first volunteer experience, but this is the first museum I've worked in. I am also a photographer and musician by hobby (Ukulele, 2026; harp, 2022). I'm quiet and introverted, so you'd best find me tucked away somewhere behind walls or a door, away from the noise. I graduated from Beaufort High School in 2022, and am currently taking some time off from college.
Ryan Gomez - Midlands Technical College, College of Charleston
I am an archaeological field technician and an undergraduate Anthropology student at Midlands Technical College, where I am completing my Associate degree in Spring 2027 before transferring to the College of Charleston to pursue a bachelor's degree in Archaeology. My interests focus on American historical archaeology, material culture, and cultural heritage preservation. My experience at the Penn Center York W. Bailey Museum has been intellectually and culturally enriching, offering hands-on experience in exhibition preparation and installation, and collaboration with staff and volunteers, while deepening my understanding of Penn Center's significant role in African American history and culture, as well as African American cultural history more broadly.
Iyana Stringer, Rutgers University
Iyana recently concluded her first year of her master's program in American Studies from Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey. Her research interests include Black women's history, Black liberation movements, and Black music. Currently, Iyana aspires to be a curator and public historian for Black history museums and cultural spaces.
In 2024, Iyana graduated from the University of Georgia (UGA) with bachelor's degrees in African American Studies and Psychology and minors in Sociology and Korean Language and Literature. It was during her time at UGA, in a summer course on the African American freedom struggle, that she first visited Penn Center. Now she has returned as an intern in the hopes of gaining practical skills and knowledge to prepare her for a career in the museum field while also connecting with the surrounding Gullah Geechee community.
Caleb Singleton, Boston College
Caleb Singleton has worked with Penn Center as a volunteer, intern, and part-time employee since 2024. A Beaufort native, Caleb graduated from Beaufort High School in 2026 and is preparing to start his freshman year at Boston College.
Damien Velez, Mississippi State University
Damien Velez is a 2026 graduate of Beaufort High School. At Penn Center, Damien worked in the Welcome Center an the York W. Bailey Museum. This fall he’ll be entering his freshman year at Mississippi State University.
Congratulations again to all of our inaugural Penn Center Scholars. Stay tuned as we grow this program and welcome new scholars in the seasons ahead.