From Health Struggles to STEM Success, Yanyu Found Support and Purpose
The summer of 2024 was supposed to be a break after Yanyu’s first year at the University of Maryland – Baltimore County (UMBC). Instead, she found herself in the hospital. Confronted with the uncertainty of a sudden health challenge, she chose to use the experience to fuel her purpose.
Yanyu first heard about ETV from her attorney. The introduction connected her to the Maryland Education and Training Voucher (ETV) team as she began her STEM journey at UMBC as a chemical engineering major. Megan Hallett, Foster Success’s Maryland Assistant Director of Education, began working with her on her plans for participating in ETV and setting academic goals.
With the new responsibilities of attending a university, Foster Success lifted extra pressures for Yanyu.
“It released a burden that I didn’t have to work while going to school,” she said. “You never know what will come next, regardless if it’s a challenge or an opportunity you’re given.”
“Yanyu has demonstrated her financial literacy and intentional use of the ETV funding, ensuring her grades and qualifications allow her to factor this funding into her budget."
— Megan, Maryland Assistant Director of Education
This is a shared relief amongst young people. According to our 2024-2025 Impact Data, 76% of young people said ETV positively impacted their ability to afford other life expenses.
Presented with the opportunity to dedicate herself to her education, she went for it. She’s involved in the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), and is also part of the executive board at the UMBC chapter. Most recently, she participated in the Chem-E-Car competition, where her team won Regionals and qualified for Nationals in Fall 2025.
While the funds have provided financial stability and freedom for her to work in the lab, they have also motivated Yanyu to take ownership of her finances. During monthly coaching check-ins, Yanyu comes prepared with updates for her semester goals and a spreadsheet detailing her budget for bills, tuition, and spending money.
“Yanyu has demonstrated her financial literacy and intentional use of the ETV funding, ensuring her grades and qualifications allow her to factor this funding into her budget,” Megan said.
By fall 2024, Yanyu was living on campus. But what should’ve been a fresh chapter from a summer of health issues turned into a difficult semester. Roommate problems and a new wave of health challenges impacted her not only physically, but mentally. Struggling to sleep and fuel herself, she worried her grades would slip. She turned to Megan, who provided reassurance that she was capable of achieving her semester goals through the plans they had created together in their coaching sessions.
Yanyu decided to move off campus, and was able to concentrate on her educational goals as her health improved. She began working in a research lab dedicated to women’s health, specifically investigating how changes in the vaginal microbiome composition influences women’s reproductive systems in relation to various diseases.
Over the summer, she was selected as a fellow for the prestigious Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program. She’s also working on an independent research project to develop a human vaginal chip to study how antibiotics affect the recurrence of bacterial vaginosis.
As she looks towards a new school year, Yanyu is grounded by her sense of purpose and support network.