Brennan Stark '17 Makes Headlines By Taking Innovative Approach to Solving Homelessness

Archmere senior Brennan Stark not only leads but also co-founded Y Innovations Inc., a federally recognized tax-exempt 501(c)(3) scientific research based nonprofit corporation. Y Innovations Inc. aims to develop innovations and stimulate public interest in key areas of rapidly developing technology in the hopes of leading humanity into a bright future. The company was just featured by The News Journal for their first sustainable development project, a small storage shed built this year at the Siegel JCC. The student-led nonprofit started this year to come up with creative solutions to common problems, such as homelessness.

 

Over this past summer, along with other local high school students, Archmere students Akhil Bollu ’17, Alison Lobo ’17, Bill Wang ’17, Blake Parker ’17, Daniel Kim ’17, Idana Tang ’17, Makala Wang ’17, Matthew Etzrodt ’17, Mathew Groum ’17, Monica Onishi ’19, Kathryn Slomski ’17, and Keelin Reilly ’17, joined Stark in building the model shed structure. The structure is made of all renewable and sustainable resources, using a technique called “cobbing,” a natural building technique similar to adobe that utilizes clay, sand, and straw. Stark and the fellow members of Y Innovations Inc. anticipate that this model will serve as a beacon of hope, and lead to their goal of creating these types of houses for the homeless and underprivileged in our community. 

 

Stark has also created an off-shoot branch of the nonprofit corporation at Archmere, called the Y Innovations Club, that is led by himself, Mathew Groum ’17, Matthew Etzrodt ’17, and Alison Lobo ’17, and is moderated by World Languages and Cultures Department Chair, Madame Katie Thiel. The club already has 38 members, and encourages more Archmere students to join in this great cause!

 

To read the feature in The News Journal, click here. 

 

To check out the Y Innovations website, visit here.