Youngstown State Pen Pals Program named after community leader Dr. Rashid Abdu
For over a decade, Youngstown State University students in the Sokolov Honors College have signed up to participate in the college’s pen pal program, partnering with elementary schools in the area.
The Honors College unveiled a new name for the program, dedicated to a local volunteer tutor and community leader in surgical medicine, Dr. Rashid Abdu.
Past and present pen pals, student leaders, honors alums and professors gathered to celebrate Dr. Abdu’s new namesake.
How does the Dr. Rashid Abdu Pen Pals program work?
Participating college students are paired with a student attending one of the local elementary schools. The pair will each write in composition journals biweekly, transported between the schools and YSU by honors student volunteers and staff.
YSU partners with Harding Elementary in Youngstown, Girard Intermediate School and Brookfield Elementary School.
Last year, the program supported 320 pairs of pen pals.
Shell Polymers Monaca is the primary financial sponsor of the Dr. Abdu Pen Pals Program. They’re a petrochemical company operating in the region.
“It’s an absolute privilege for Shell to sponsor a simple initiative that provides extraordinary, lifelong benefits like this Pen Pal Program,” said Curtis Thomas, director of corporate relations for Shell Polymers Monaca. “Being able to help Dr. Abdu’s dream become a wide-spread reality is an honor. This program will not only create lifelong friends, but also deliver a myriad of educational benefits to all who participate.”
How Dr. Rashid Abdu has helped Youngstown
Dr. Abdu is known for establishing the Joanie Abdu Comprehensive Breast Care Center in memory of his late wife at Mercy Health.
“The visual of a prominent local surgeon volunteering his time to help improve the learning experience of young children at Harding Elementary had a profound impact on the YSU students serving as Pen Pals,” said Amy Cossentino, dean of the Sokolov Honors College and associate provost. “The attention, patience and empathy shown to the children served as the perfect role model from which the Pen Pals program emerged and student leaders strived to emulate.”
Mayor Jamael Tito Brown issued a proclamation recognizing Dr. Abdu for his many contributions to the medical field and the newly named Dr. Abdu Pen Pals Program.
“Through the Pen Pals Program, hundreds of local elementary students form fun and meaningful connections with YSU students. It provides an engaging, entertaining and educational project that both groups look forward to,” said Natalie Dando, junior Chemical Engineering and Mathematics double major.
“Not only has Dr. Abdu encouraged and inspired a lifetime of giving back to the community, but he has also inspired the same of a younger generation of students,” said Cossentino.
Learn more about programs at YSU’s Sokolov Honors College online.
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