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Greetings, Friends and Family! ⭐️🎉 We have officially kicked off our summer work programming, and our young men have been hitting the ground running! 💼☀️ We started by conducting interviews for our participants, setting a professional tone for the weeks ahead. Since then, our young men have been working hard on campus beautification projects, taking pride in improving our community spaces 🌳🧹Alongside their hard work, they have also been participating in enriching activiti

Greetings, Friends and Family! ⭐️🎉 We have some incredible achievements and moments to share from our amazing seniors as we celebrate their hard work and dedication! Two of our outstanding seniors, Ricky Ortiz and Gael Sanchez, proudly stood alongside Pasadena Council Member Tyrone Hampton during their participation in the Fire Explorers program. 💼🚒 We love seeing our young men stepping up, learning vital skills, and engaging directly with our community leaders! We are als

Greetings, Friends and Family! 🎓 We had the honor of celebrating the MPYD Class of 2026 as they walked across the stage and received their high school diplomas. What an incredible milestone! 👏🏾 We are tremendously proud of each and every one of our graduates. Their hard work, perseverance, and dedication have brought them to this moment, and we know this is only the beginning of their journey. 💙 To the Class of 2026: As you step into this next chapter, remember that your

Greetings, Friends and Family! ⭐️🎉 We welcomed three of our graduating seniors as guest speakers: Alvin Morones, Elexis Guerra, and Joshua Hoover. 👏🏾 🎓💙 Alvin shared his plans to attend Universal Technical Institute (UTI) to become an aircraft mechanic, Elexis spoke about his goals in pursuing higher education at UC Berkeley, and Joshua discussed his high school journey and how it has shaped him into the young man he is today. Each of them offered honest, heartfelt advic

Greetings, Friends and Family! ⭐️🎉 Our week was full of excitement for our young men. We took them to K1 speed, where our students had the chance to race, bond, and challenge themselves in a fun and competitive environment. The smiles and laughter made it a day to remember! We are truly grateful to everyone who made this possible and to all who continue to support MPYD 🙏🏾. Your encouragement and generosity help us create moments like these! Thank you! 👍🏾

Dylan Wilson, a John Muir High School graduate and MPYD alumnus who generously gives back each year, also helped make this possible 🙌🏾. Through matching Mr. Wilson’s contribution, we were able to provide scholarships to five additional young men. 👏🏾💙 These young men have embodied the MPYD spirit with consistent attendance during our programming and with academic achievements inside of the classroom.

Ms. Adobi Gwacham, owner of both Chick-fil-A locations in Pasadena, continues to be a strong supporter of MPYD ❤️. Because of her generous donation, we were able to award two of our seniors with $1,000 scholarships: Victor Soto- Marquez and Dallas Hawkins🎓👏🏾. Dallas will be attending UC Riverside where he will be majoring in biomedical engineering, and Victor will be attending PCC before transferring to a 4-year university and starting a career in welding. We are so proud

Greetings, Friends and Family! ⭐️🎉 As the school year comes to an end, we wanted to give our young men the opportunity to visit the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena. For many of them, it was their first time visiting — and even hearing about the museum — despite growing up in Pasadena. Our young men truly enjoyed the experience, learning about different cultures, history, and art while spending quality time together 🖼️✨ We are truly grateful to everyone who helped make these

Greetings, Friends and Family! ️ This week, one of our graduating seniors served as our guest speaker as part of their exit ticket from the MPYD program: Kahlil Rishwain. 🎓👏🏾💙 Kahlil talked about his plans after high school and stressed the importance of not procrastinating and taking full advantage of every opportunity high school offers, because that kind of exposure is hard to find later. He shared how he tried different sports before finally discovering his true passi

Greetings, Friends and Family! ️This week, one of our graduating seniors served as our guest speaker as part of their exit ticket from the MPYD program: Dallas Hawkins. 🎓👏🏾💙 Dallas spoke about the importance of balancing extracurricular activities while still prioritizing academics so he could stay focused and avoid burnout 📚. As class president, he encouraged our young men to challenge themselves early in high school to make the most of every opportunity. He shared that

Greetings, Friends and Family! ⭐️🎉 This week, five of our graduating seniors served as guest speakers as part of their exit ticket from the MPYD program: Gael Sanchez, Ezekiel Rodriguez, Matthew Zuniga, James Griffin, and Julian Lorenzi. 👏🏾🎓💙 Gael, Ezekiel, and Matthew shared their plans after high school, including joining the fire academy and entering the workforce. James and Julian spoke about their decision to join the Marines immediately after graduation and shared

This week, we had six of our graduating seniors serve as guest speakers as part of their exit ticket from the MPYD program: Andrew Arnold, Zayveon Leagons, Damian Aleman, Victor Soto-Marquez, Malachi Miller, and Jeremiah Daniels. 👏🏾🎓💙 Our young men spoke about their time in MPYD and reflected on their high school journeys. 📚✨ They shared their favorite parts of the program and what they gained the most from their experiences. 🙌🏾 They also offered advice to the younger

On April 11, we hosted our 12th Annual MPYD Fundraiser 🎊—and we’re proud to share that we reached our fundraising goal! 🎯👏🏾 Sixteen of our seniors were in attendance as they received scholarships 🎓, celebrated alongside their families 👨‍👩‍👦, and were uplifted by the support of our community 🤝. As we approach our 25th year 🥳, it was especially meaningful to reflect on the impactful work being done at MPYD and to see so many familiar faces of those who have been part

Huge thank you to Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. for coming through and speaking life into our young men. Their visit sparked honest, meaningful conversations about health, relationships, decision‑making, and the kind of future each young man wants to build. We appreciate their leadership, their transparency, and the example they set for the next generation.

This week, we had the honor of welcoming John Muir and MPYD alumnus Brian Gonzalez, along with his coworker, Javier Sandoval-Garcia, from the Santa Monica Mountains Fund 🌿🌎. Mr. Gonzalez and Mr. Sandoval spoke to our young men about nature rehabilitation and what that work entails 🌱. They also referenced the Eaton Fire 🔥 as a way to engage the students and provide real-world context for the important work they do. They explained that there is a strong need for individuals

Mr. Abrams spoke about the challenges that come after high school, especially when it comes to maintaining friendships and navigating life’s unexpected turns 🎓. He shared how his own journey took many different paths, particularly after COVID and how he never imagined he would be where he is today. He encouraged the young men to recognize that they never know who they are in the room with, and to always take the opportunity to connect and build relationships 🤝🏾💬.

This week, we had the honor of welcoming Dr. Shari Rogers, Psychology President of Spill the Honey Foundation. Dr. Rogers spoke with our young men about the alliance between African Americans and Jewish communities during the Civil Rights Movement, highlighting how both groups supported one another in the fight for equality 🤝🏾. She emphasized the importance of unity, understanding, and standing together across cultures. She also showed a powerful video that opened their eye

We also had our parent meeting yesterday with about 30 parents in attendance! We shared information from LA Fire Justice and also talked about our upcoming fundraiser, our annual leadership camp, grades, and everything else we continue to do here at MPYD. We also had time after the meeting to connect one-on-one with parents and give updates on how their young men are doing in the program

For our young men that worked the Rose Parade they also had the opportunity to earn some extra money by providing feedback to Sindee Riboli the president of Sharp Seating. They were instructed to write 3 paragraphs sharing their experience and including ways to improve and any concerns they had as well. Each young man wrote three paragraphs and earned an extra $20 for their work

Greetings, Friends and Family! ⭐️✨ We’re excited to invite you to MPYD’s 12th Annual Fundraiser Luncheon! 🎉 This meaningful event helps us continue mentoring, guiding, and uplifting the incredible young men in our program. Join us on Saturday, April 11th at 1 PM at Brookside Golf Club in Pasadena for an afternoon filled with community 🤝, inspiration, and purpose. Your support allows us to provide mentorship, educational opportunities 📚, and life-changing experiences that l