A Legacy of Leadership and Growth

Sylvia joined Summer Search Philadelphia in May of 2017. Within a year, the office had secured a transformational gift and support from Eagles defensive end and Super Bowl Champion, Chris Long. Within two years, the Philadelphia office would exceed its revenue goal, and would go on to meet or exceed its revenue goal year over year every subsequent year under Sylvia's leadership, while also doubling our revenue to grow the programming.

A True Champion for our Young People and for Philadelphia

The year of 2020 was like no other in our lifetimes. With grace and excellence, Sylvia continued at the helm of our organization to seamlessly pivot our services to virtual, while maintaining the same high quality of care. On top of it all, our program continued to grow, and Summer Search Philadelphia has tripled its incoming sophomore class throughout Sylvia's tenure as Executive Director.

Sylvia also conceived of the network-wide Championing for Justice and Equity initiative, which helped our larger community heal, knowledge-share, and act when it comes to  topics of social justice. In 2021, Sylvia trailblazed an earned income model by spearheading our partnership with Aon's Apprenticeship Program. For the first time, Summer Search tested its Depth Mentoring approach with young professionals in the workplace, and the partnership has begun to serve as a model for future partnerships to come.