I didn't know what I would do. But somewhere along the line, all that began to change. Chase's grades in school improved, she decided to run for senior class president and gave a speech at her graduation ceremony based on Frederick Douglass' writings. And today, as she finishes her junior year of college, Chase credits the intensive, little-known Project Power program as playing a crucial role. Project Power, funded by the federal Job Training Partnership and the Philadelphia Private Industry Council, was created in 1993 by Penn State Abington physical education professors Wesley Olsen and Bob Barton, and Olney English teacher Myra Olshansky.
Most participants are minorities, and many have faced economic adversity all of their lives.
Thirty-one are now enrolled in Project Power Two. Many of these kids would be first-generation college students, and we are trying to teach them to be productive citizens and to graduate from high school. Our hope is that 18 to 20 of our current group will go on to college. The others will likely go into the service or trades. Students also take an overnight trip to University Park, where they stay in the residence halls and get a real sense of the larger college experience.