During the 53rd annual Harlem YMCA Black Achievers in Industry (bai) Gala, recently held at the Marriott Marquis hotel in Midtown, 17 year-old student Maurice Anderson received the Carrie Terrell Award for his leadership in the program and beyond. Founded by Dr. Leo B. Marsh in 1971, the Harlem YMCA’s bai initiative serves as a student enrichment program aimed at supporting high school students toward their path to college.
Anderson, born and raised in Harlem, is a senior at Thurgood Marshall Academy which he has attended since kindergarten. His aspirations include mechanical engineering, rooted in his love of building things such as Legos, and eventually joining the robotics team at school. But, he said it was the support from the YMCA/bai program leaders that inspired him to excel, prompting “Black excellence.”
Anderson first joined the YMCA at age 14. In addition to the support of his family at home, it was the mentorship and tools provided from leaders in the program that benefited him in his journey.
After school during the week, Anderson goes to the YMCA like others in the teen program where he has access to different resources like STEM activities, tutoring, basketball, and college readiness courses. At Thurgood, he excels both academically and athletically as a member of the Squash team. In 2023, he and his team recently made history as the first all-Black team to make the U.S. Squash High School Team Nationals.
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Chris Foster, executive Director for the Harlem YMCA, has been one of Anderson’s mentors in the program. They first met on 135th Street and Lenox down the block from the building when Anderson, who was with his other classmates, introduced himself to Foster and demonstrated “such character and leadership.”
“I see Maurice as being someone who is willing to learn and someone who is willing to adapt and step up to a challenge,” Foster said as he served on the board that selected Anderson for the award.
Resources at the YMCA that Anderson said he has utilized include the Teen Center, Leader’s Club, and Rowe’s Scholars, a college readiness program for students throughout the city.
Anderson is also active in My Brother’s Keeper — an initiative launched by former President Barack Obama in 2014 — which serves as professional development and support space for young males of color. Anderson is now a fellow, the highest rank in the program. In this setting, the young men create space to speak openly about issues in their community, while also offering mental health support resources and participating in community service projects.
As part of the bai initiative, Anderson and other teens participated in an HBCU college tour across the country. Closer to making a decision, some of his top choices are SUNY Binghamton and Albany, where he said he is looking to continue leadership on campus.
A career in mechanical engineering is not the only path Anderson sees as he’s looking to become an entrepreneur owning a business and get involved in real estate properties across New York. Like other graduates from the YMCA and bai over the years, he plans are remaining connected with the program going forward.
“I don’t think there will ever be a time in my life that I will forget the YMCA, that I wouldn’t come back to visit because at the end of the day, they have granted me the opportunity and a blessing for being a youth achiever and for giving me a place that I can call home,” he added.