In April 2024, ministers and pastors from nearby Wayland Temple Baptist Church located at 2500 Cecil B. Moore Ave. and other churches around Temple’s Main Campus crowded Shusterman Hall for a Clergy Community Leaders Breakfast. Darla Beasley, a regular Wayland churchgoer, sat down at a table with a deacon while saying hello to others at the event.  

She explained to the group that her grandson, Gabonni Leary, is entering his junior year in high school at The City School Poplar, and is interested in attending Temple. To her surprise, she learned that Shelbie Ulysse, a coordinator of Temple’s Community Gateway, was seated across from her. The Community Gateway is the university’s one-stop resource connecting individuals and families with services available through Temple and its community and government partners. Ulysse walked Beasley through several programs that Temple offers for young people like her grandson. Beasley was sold immediately.  

“That day is where it all began. The Gateway laid out the red carpet and opened the door for my family and me,” Beasley said. “I have lived near Temple’s Main Campus since 1995, and I was so impressed by Temple because I never knew, after all these years, that they have had so much to offer young people and adults in the community. I was blown away.” 

After the breakfast event, the Gateway kept in regular contact with Beasley and connected Leary with the summer 2024 STEM-UP Leadership Program, which he participated in during last school year every Saturday and is currently participating in the 2025 summer cohort as well. Next fall, he will join Temple’s B4USoar program, which offers students from Philadelphia’s public and charter high schools the opportunity to attend in-person college classes, getting a real campus experience free of charge while exploring new paths for their future. 

“I could not believe the above and beyond support I continued to receive from the Gateway after the breakfast event, but it was real,” Beasley said. “It was not a one-off; they even gave me a call and invited me up to the office. I told them I am a youth director, so they just kept giving me programs.” 

The Gateway also connected Beasley to basic computer classes and a Basic Excel: Creating Professional Spreadsheets course through Temple’s Pan-African Studies Community Education Program (PASCEP), a low-cost, non-credit continuing education service of Temple’s Office of Community Affairs and Engagement. She explained that the basic computer classes were beneficial for senior citizens like her. Many were learning for the first time how to use a mouse, check emails, go on the internet and protect their bank account from online threats by creating strong passwords. 

“There are so many seniors who have a computer but don’t know how to use it, like for going on Zoom or they can’t talk to the doctor online,” Beasley said. “So the PASCEP classes taught us how to use our devices like our cellphones and computers. I even convinced 12 members of my church, who are also senior citizens, to take the classes at Temple; we learned so much.”  

As Beasley’s relationship continued to build with the Gateway, they informed her of their new navigator position opening. With Beasley being retired, she thought that it might be a position of interest for her daughter, Keiyona Abdullah, who was looking for a fresh start after working as a customer service representative in the Philadelphia County Court for 18 years. 

“I just needed a break and a reset button. I was looking for something new and refreshing, so when my mom shared the open position with me, I was overwhelmingly happy about it,” Abdullah said. “I was shocked that there was a job to be a part of the Temple University family as a navigator, case manager and life coach that I am. To do all these things to help the community engage and bring people in. It was everything I was looking for in a job.” 

Abdullah was officially hired as a navigator for the Community Gateway in early January. In her role, she offers on-site and in-person guidance to individuals and families to access services and resources like job training and placement, youth engagement, academic enrichment, adult education, and more.  

But assistance from the Gateway to the Beasley family didn’t stop there.  

Before Abdullah landed the job, the Gateway also connected her niece, Briyell Leary, to a certified nurse assistant training program at the Philadelphia Job Corps Center in 2024. Leary is expected to graduate from the program in late June of this year. Her sister, Brianna Leary, also became a client of the Gateway, completing a course within the Pennsylvania Small Business Development program at Temple, which provides educational training, business resources and experienced no-cost, confidential consulting to small business owners and entrepreneurs in Philadelphia and Montgomery counties. 

Additionally, Abdullah’s daughter, Kennedy, recently became a client of the Gateway and is participating in Temple’s annual summer youth rowing camp this year. The camp is run by the Temple women’s rowing at Boathouse Row, giving urban children the experience of rowing. 

“I was also able to bring youth from other middle schools and different dance studios to sign up for the rowing camp,” Abdullah said. “The great thing about the Gateway is that we meet you where you are at. We invite you to our office and talk about what your interests are in Temple or in life. We strive to help all families and individuals navigate to their next stage in life and reach their goals.” 

“We are so blessed to have this relationship with Temple because it has inspired my family,” Beasley added. 

For more information on how to get connected with resources and services through Temple’s Community Gateway.