Samuel Ready Scholarships- Spring 2025 Newsletter
Letter from the Board President
The strategy pointed toward our second half-century
Samuel Ready Scholarships will celebrate our 50th year in 2027. It’s a milestone that prompts us to consider how we’re fostering the educational success of our scholars today, while continuing to honor the legacy and achievements of this organization and of the generations of women we’ve been honored to support.
Last year, we launched a strategic planning initiative framed around a fundamental question: “How can we best serve our scholars?” We approached this question through a process that centered around listening, learning, and research.
Across several months, we received input from a variety of stakeholders, including scholars, scholar families, school administrators, heads of schools, alumnae, donors, and board members. The feedback highlighted the breadth and extraordinary accomplishments of our Samuel Ready community, and the vital importance of our mission.
This thoughtful process allowed us to identify our core strengths, examine areas of improvement, and develop an achievable, consensus-driven strategic plan with progressive, measurable goals. This strategy will serve as a foundation and guide for our work over the next five years.
I'm grateful to everyone who shared their thoughts and reflections during this process. It’s an exciting time to be part of Samuel Ready Scholarships, positioning our organization for continued success as we stand on the threshold of our second half-century.
Jennifer Byers
President
ALUMNA SPOTLIGHT: Deana Frank
Scholar and board member: dual perspectives on a steadfast mission
Deana Frank had options when she was considering where to attend middle school, but her family knew any decision would come down to affordability.
“Getting the full scholarship from Samuel Ready was a big difference maker,” she said of how she ended up at Friends School of Baltimore in sixth grade.
Since that decision, Deana has spent nearly two decades of her life deeply connected to Samuel Ready – first, for seven years as a scholar and, more recently, as a member of the board for more than a decade. Those dual connections, and her own professional background, give her a unique perspective on the organization and the families it supports.
After Friends School, Deana graduated from Boston University and later earned a master’s degree in nonprofit leadership from the University of Pennsylvania. She carved out a career in the nonprofit sector working with and for young people.
In 2014, she was leading the Elijah Cummings Youth Program when she reached out to Samuel Ready Scholarships to ask about sharing opportunities about the program with Samuel Ready Scholars. She had lunch with a staff member, recognized that the two organizations shared alumnae, and eventually agreed to join the board.
“When I joined, I came with a totally different professional lens, having an interest in youth in Baltimore and an interest in nonprofit organizations,” she said. “It was the first board I ever joined, and it was significant for me.”
In recent years, she has served on the board’s executive committee, helped recruit more board members of color, and participated in the strategic planning process, which she believes is leading Samuel Ready Scholarships in the right direction.
“It feels to me that we’re ready to turn the page and bring in a modern era of Samuel Ready Scholarships centered on our students, families, and alumnae, and engaging with them in meaningful ways,” she said.
BOARD SPOTLIGHT: Camiel Irving
Welcoming Camiel Irving to our board of trustees
Camiel is Uber’s vice president of operations and general manager of U.S. and Canada mobility. She plays a key role in the company’s profitability by making decisions that cover areas such as capital allocation, customer experience, and regulatory strategy.
A Baltimore native, Camiel earned a Master of Business Administration from Northwestern University and a bachelor’s degree from Xavier University of Louisiana.
"As a girl from Baltimore City, the rare opportunity to attend an independent school changed my life's trajectory,” she said. “It's my honor to support other girls as they chart their course on a similar path."
And it’s an honor to have Camiel on our board as we work to advance the mission of Samuel Ready Scholarships!
READY FOR MORE
Even with tuition covered by Samuel Ready Scholarships, families face numerous out-of-pocket expenses related to a child’s education. Day-to-day costs, such as a cafeteria account, and one-off expenses, such as fees related to an academic field trip, can add up.
The McAdam Fund, named for a former Samuel Ready School teacher, offers our scholars funding for non-tuition academic expenses.
Take a look at how scholars used these funds in recent years.
EVENTS
Fall Luncheon at Friends School of Baltimore
Are you a former Samuel Ready Scholar?
We want to hear from Samuel Ready School and Samuel Ready Scholarships alumnae! Please send us a note at [email protected], and let us know what you have been up to.
