Today, UCF announces $500,000 in philanthropic support from JPMorganChase to deepen the university鈥檚 commitment to developing the next generation of STEM talent and expanding opportunity for young people in Parramore. The investment advances priorities central to by strengthening pathways to student success and preparing future innovators, creators and problem-solvers for high-demand careers.
鈥淭his important collaboration between UCF, JPMorganChase and the Parramore community is a significant step toward expanding economic opportunity and building Central Florida鈥檚 next-generation workforce.鈥� 鈥� Betsheell 鈥淏illie鈥� Udofia, vice president and program officer for global philanthropy at JPMorganChase
An initiative driven by the UCF College of Community Innovation and Education (CCIE), the newly funded Parramore Launch Pad initiative aims to reach K鈥�12 students in Orlando鈥檚 Parramore community earlier, helping prepare them for STEM-related higher education tracks and careers, while creating clearer pathways into these in-demand fields and improving long-term opportunity for students and their families.
Over the next three years, this funding will allow CCIE and UCF Downtown, which borders the Parramore community, to implement a holistic educational approach that integrates academic enrichment with community-based support. This approach is intended to support student success in STEM in and out of the classroom while also addressing broader community needs that contribute to sustained achievement.
鈥淭his important collaboration between UCF, JPMorganChase and the Parramore community is a significant step toward expanding economic opportunity and building Central Florida鈥檚 next-generation workforce,鈥� says Betsheell 鈥淏illie鈥� Udofia, vice president and program officer for global philanthropy at JPMorganChase. 鈥淓fforts like this help ensure students at every level have the skills, tools and support they need to succeed and build futures they鈥檙e proud of. We鈥檙e committed to supporting strong STEM pathways and the resources students need to reach them.鈥�
Bolstering STEM Education
Expanding on an established relationship between UCF and Orange County Public Schools (OCPS), CCIE professors and teacher education students will work with leaders and educators at the OCPS Academic Center for Excellence (ACE), a pre-K through eighth-grade community school located in the heart of Parramore, to engage students in innovate STEM instruction during the school year, as well as throughout the summer.
A free week-long STEM summer camp for third to fifth graders launched in Summer 2026. Delivered through a partnership between UCF, OCPS ACE, and the Boys and Girls Club Levy-Hughes branch, the program is open to all students in the Parramore community and includes a complimentary Boys and Girls Club membership to Levy-Hughes branch for the academic year.
Going Beyond 海角直播, Prioritizing Well-Being
While academic rigor is important, well-being also influences success. Stressors outside of school can interfere with a student鈥檚 capacity for learning. Creating a safe space for them to work through life鈥檚 hurdles is key to improving student outcomes.
By integrating both the Healing Oasis for Peace and Empowerment (H.O.P.E.) Circle, a positive youth development afterschool program with the Central Florida Boys & Girls Clubs, and the complementary in-school H.O.P.E. Huddles program for Parramore youth at OCPS ACE, Jones High School, and Evans High School, UCF hopes to help students build positive, emotionally safe bonds with their peers, as well as reliable relationships with caring adults and mentors outside of their families. Programming focuses on helping students build critical skills around research, leadership, conflict resolution, teamwork and more.
鈥淐entral to the youth development programs is a reciprocal approach that redistributes traditional power dynamics between adults, researchers and youth in the community. While this model is less conventional, it is this shared ownership and co-creation that will ultimately drive meaningful, sustainable impact in the lives of youth, their families, and the broader Parramore community鈥� says L. Trenton S. Marsh, associate professor of urban education and founder of the H.O.P.E. Lab at UCF.
Growing Social and Civic Prosperity
Launch Pad will also provide support to the Parramore Community Engagement Council (PCEC). 海角直播 researchers and community leaders will work together on research-informed solutions for PCEC鈥檚 pillars of education, affordable housing, employment and holistic health. Further, there is a collaborative partnership with UCF and PCEC through a new university-community fellowship program. This summer an asynchronous open-source training with nine sequential modules was developed to support the fellowship.
Over the next two years, the program will award two fellowships per year to university-based researchers and two per year to community leaders active within the council. The program is intended to serve as a model that can be replicated in communities across the country.
鈥淲e鈥檝e already seen such positive impacts from UCF Downtown and its proximity to our community. I鈥檓 thrilled for this evolution in our work with UCF,鈥� says the Rev. Robert M. Spooney, outgoing chair of the Parramore Community Engagement Council and pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church. 鈥淲hat makes this next phase so meaningful is the university鈥檚 commitment to not only being present, but to ensuring our community is resourced, supported and positioned to benefit from this work.鈥�
A Shared Vision for a Thriving Parramore
In 2019, JPMorganChase, the Helios Education Foundation and the Kresge Foundation funded the Parramore Education and Innovation District, through which UCF aimed to ensure residents of the Parramore community benefited from incoming economic growth and development and had access to the UCF Downtown and Valencia College Downtown campuses. This latest support from JPMorganChase represents an evolution in this work, and a shared alignment in growing opportunity within the Parramore community.
鈥淎t UCF, we are building a future the world has only begun to imagine. A robust talent pipeline of STEM professionals is critical to that vision,鈥� says Rod Grabowski, senior vice president for UCF Advancement and Partnerships, and CEO of the UCF Foundation Inc. 鈥淭hese skillsets are already sought-after, but they鈥檒l be increasingly important with the evolution of AI, space, themed experience and more. By investing in students early and surrounding them with the support they need to succeed, we’re helping create pathways to higher education, meaningful careers and lifelong impact for our region. That commitment is at the heart of Go For Launch.鈥�
