Say Yes Spotlight | Sierra Endreny
Meet Sierra, Syracuse University graduate and Say Yes scholarship recipient.

“To me, Say Yes Syracuse means opportunity and access to education, nothing less,” said Say Yes Syracuse scholar, Sierra Endreny.
When Sierra graduated from Nottingham High School in 2016, she wasn’t sure what major she would pursue in college, but she felt comforted and excited to begin her higher education journey with the help of a Say Yes Syracuse scholarship.
Throughout high school, Sierra was involved in multiple extracurricular activities. She was most active in DECA, a nonprofit organization and club that helps high school students establish a career and build skills in business management. Sierra also participated in her gospel choir and ran the 800 meters on the track and field team.
As she reflected on her past, she recalled seeing older students travel to Los Angeles and other cities to compete in entrepreneurship competitions, which motivated her to become more active in her school’s entrepreneurship club so she could do the same. Sierra practiced and developed her financial skills with the help of one of her favorite school teachers. She later had the opportunity to travel to Rochester for a New York State business competition and to multiple other schools and areas across the region, just like her younger self had envisioned.
First introduced to Say Yes Syracuse when she was in sixth grade at Ed Smith Pre-K-8 School, Sierra was presented with a mock “contract” that guaranteed her admission to Syracuse University if she maintained a certain GPA and SAT score.
“I didn’t think much of it at the time, but it really came in handy once I was in high school and thinking about college,” she said. “Even though it was not a “real” contract, it gave me a sense of security that college was obtainable as long as I worked hard and maintained my grades.”
When college application season came around, Sierra quickly committed to Syracuse University with a plan to major in Food Studies. Upon arriving on campus, she became involved in various extracurricular activities, where she built many relationships that enriched her college experience. She noted one of her favorite experiences was joining the Orange Pulse Dance Troupe, a student-led dance organization that hosts an annual showcase at the end of each school year. During her junior year, Sierra joined the student-run meditation club.
“It was there that I really connected with my spirituality and learned a lot about meditation and Buddhism,” she said. “We also took trips to a Buddhist center in the Catskills where we immersed ourselves in the practice of meditation and mindfulness. Those experiences led me to a work-study position directly out of college where I was a chef for a Buddhist Center in Berkeley, California.”
While she enjoyed working in the culinary world, she was eager to test out other fields. Not long after, she landed a job as a student support assistant at an international school in San Francisco. While there, her ambitions for her future grew. Now, three years later, she is pursuing a master of science degree in counseling from The Wright Institute in Berkeley California.
“For me, Say Yes was a tremendous safety net along my college journey that allowed me to experience opportunities I may not have otherwise had,” she said. “To me, Say Yes means opportunity and access to education, something not everyone has.”
Sierra noted that most of her friends have a substantial amount of debt from college, and that she is grateful for the opportunities her Say Yes scholarship has provided her. Now, she feels equipped with the skills she needs to create a prosperous future for herself and her community, which she attributes to her Say Yes Syracuse scholarship.