When Jack Lewis first heard of the Appleton Youth Education Initiative, he viewed it as a vehicle that would help him attain his educational goals.

However, as first a member and now AYEI president, this Appleton North High School senior has received an education on the importance of collectivism versus individualism.

“So, I think for me, my first two years of high school, I was really focused on advancing myself,” said Lewis.

But when he became AYEI president, he realized personal priorities needed to be put in the back seat.

“I really feel that it’s helped me; No. 1: Be more grateful for the privileges that I have,” he said. “And the access that I’ve had. I’ve been fortunate enough to do certain things that not everyone has the opportunity to do."

“And so, I want to be able to give those opportunities to other people.”

AYEI is a student-driven organization formed in 2009. Its mission is to help prepare high school students for the transition into the adult world and continuing education. And its focus is doing so in a way that creates equity and inclusion in the academic arena.

“I think that is really important, the inclusivity piece,” said Dr. Lori Hilt, psychology professor at Lawrence University and a member of the AYEI advisory board. “At our full board meeting, the students were talking about what they could do to move more in that direction. And one thing they want to do is fundraise for scholarships for students.

“And they were also brainstorming ways to get more students involved. They’ve always, I think, had that in mind. Reaching out to students of various backgrounds to help promote higher education opportunities, which I just think is really valuable.”

"They advisory board includes several leading Fox Valley businesses, as well as education and health organizations. The board is there for guidance."

One such idea is HackAppleton, an annual competition that has grown to where it now has participants from across the U.S. and internationally.

“Essentially, it’s a coding competition,” said Lewis. “They’re given a prompt, or like a problem statement. And they have to use their computer science knowledge to sort of create a solution. So, some of the ideas that we had this year, people created websites for tracking data and we had people go as far as NASA, and using that (public, online) data to create their own database. Some people created games that would sort of represent a possible solution. But the possibilities were really endless.”

Other AEYI initiatives include:

* College camp: Speakers lead members through the application process, learn what colleges are looking for in applicants and learn what factors they should consider when choosing a college. Students also have the opportunity to speak with admissions administrators, from state schools to Northwestern University.

• Tech clinic: Students are assigned a mentor from the AYEI advisory board and work on the same projects they are. It allows students to improve their coding and tech skills at their own pace.

• Test prep: These are preparation sessions for ACT and Advanced Placement tests. Recent test takers who have scored highly on the given test lead sessions, including several who achieved perfect scores on the ACT exam. There is also a Genuine Comprehension Initiative that allows students to be tutored for free by college tutors.

• Book drive: Books, flashcards sets and more are collected through participating Northeast Wisconsin schools and redistributed to students, much like a library system. It is designed to eliminate economic barriers and bring equity to the college application process.

• Philharmonic Ventures: Students perform music for residents at area nursing homes and other locations.

They’re able to cover the costs for many of these initiatives because they applied for 501(c)(3) status and became a nonprofit organization in 2019.

“I’ve just been really impressed with the initiatives and the leadership that I’ve seen demonstrated each year,” said Hilt. “The leadership impresses me and continues to impress me.”

Lewis said the education he’s gained from AYEI has been invaluable.

“The organization has really just taught me what I can do for others and to not take for granted this time that I have in high school,” he said. “I have all this time to connect. And I can really help some people if I put together my resources and work toward a successful project that can benefit the community.”

Story idea? You can reach Mike Woods at 920-246-6321 or at: michael.t.woods1@charter.com