LATROBE, PA – Beth Bollinger, C’95, G’23, chemistry lab manager and senior lecturer in the Department of Chemistry at Saint Vincent College, was recently honored by the Young Men and Women in Charge (YMWIC) Foundation Inc. as its 2026 Educational Leadership Award for Post-Secondary Education recipient.
She was recognized for her efforts with the YMWIC Summer STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Camp at Saint Vincent College, a multi-day overnight experience featuring professor-led classroom and laboratory instruction for rising seventh- and eighth-grade YMWIC scholars.
“Receiving this award is an honor, but it is also representative of the faculty and staff of the Herbert W. Boyer School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Computing,” said Bollinger, who has served as chemistry lab manager and senior lecturer in the Boyer School since 2015, and has more than 25 years of service to the College. “As the director of the STEM camp for the YMWIC scholars, I have the opportunity to create a unique experience for the scholars at Saint Vincent College, but their experience is only made possible because the faculty and staff lead classes for the camp.”
Bollinger was recognized during the YMWIC 16th annual Scholarship & Awards Banquet on Thursday, May 21, at Sheraton Valley Forge King of Prussia. The award was presented by Richard Roberts III, who serves as executive director of the YMWIC Foundation.
The camp provides middle school scholars with immersive experiences across STEM disciplines, including chemistry, biology, physics, environmental science, engineering, computer science, mathematics, health sciences and nursing. The experience is designed to encourage young scholars to begin preparing themselves to be college students.
After initially participating as an instructor, Bollinger took over as camp director in 2018. In the role, she oversees all aspects of the annual residential camp, including program development, staffing and coordination with Boyer School faculty. The collaboration between the YMWIC and Saint Vincent College started in 2013. This year’s camp was June 22-25.
“We are so pleased to learn of Beth Bollinger’s recognition by the YMWIC Foundation,” said Dr. Stephen Jodis, dean of the Boyer School. “Ms. Bollinger has broadened the science disciplines involved and tuned the camp to be more responsive to the interests and structure that benefit these talented students.”
Bollinger’s time at Saint Vincent College began as an AmeriCorps member as she combined her chemistry and education backgrounds to support environmental programming, including sampling and analysis for the Monastery Run Improvement Project (MRIP), a 20-acre abandoned mine drainage wetland remediation system.
She served as environmental education coordinator at the Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve, developing and delivering programs that connected students and community members to environmental science and stewardship. In 2015, she transitioned into her current role in the Department of Chemistry.
Bollinger provides laboratory instruction and research assistance in chemistry and environmental science. She continues to manage the MRIP and has secured and successfully implemented over $1 million in funding through the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement grants.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in chemistry and a Master of Science in instructional design and technology from Saint Vincent College and a Bachelor of Science in chemistry education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Bollinger is a Pennsylvania-certified chemistry teacher with additional experience in environmental education.
About YMWIC
YMWIC’s mission is to empower and prepare economically disadvantaged and historically underrepresented youth to excel and become leaders in STEM careers through a structured and rigorous curriculum, academic tutoring, mentoring and financial assistance programs, accomplished by leveraging alliances with K-12 school districts, universities, corporations and the Foundation’s committed partners.
A handful of YMWIC Foundation graduates have advanced to Saint Vincent College. They include Rya Jones, C’22, who earned a Bachelor of Science in health sciences; Tyzhana Raison, C’22, who earned a Bachelor of Science in chemistry; and Elwood Fahnbulleh, a sophomore mechanical engineering major.
