It’s quite rare to see someone so young accomplish so much, but through hard work and perseverance, that’s exactly what Chris Young did. The 23 year old spearheaded the company Async Interview and has two degrees under his belt, but this doesn’t mean he’s got everything figured out. As a young entrepreneur, he’s gotten quite a few doors slammed in his face. He’s even had job interviewer tell him that he was not cut out for the business at all. And even now, as the head of his own company, he struggles to make his presence known in the industry. Through all these challenges, how does he manage to push through?

To Chris, “Never Let You Down” means never letting yourself down and having the courage to pursue your dreams, even through adversity. “I continue to set new goals for myself,” says the ambitious entrepreneur.

While enrolled at Drexel University, Chris was part of numerous organizations, and made major contributions to the campus. As a co-op student at Drexel, he learned the interview process earlier than most. He applied for various jobs, and received more than 20 interviews from several well-known companies. Unfortunately, a few of the employers cancelled the interview process due to scheduling conflicts with the human resource department.

It was a frustrating situation, but the experience paved the way for his business. When he watched President Obama deliver the American Jobs Act speech, he was truly inspired. How many Americans waste time and money on multiple interviews and ending up with no job at all? How many organizations delay interviewing a candidate just because they can’t get their team together in time? These, along with the timing of American unemployment, were simply too big to ignore.

Chris wanted to get Americans back to work quicker, and he had a simple solution. The idea was to create a Back to Work campaign offering 100 organizations 50 free video interviews.   The nature of his video interviewing tool speeds up the interview screening process by having recruiters send pre-recorded video questions to candidates and have them record their answers by a given deadline. This allows the employers to conduct multiple interviews simultaneously. The interview is conducted online, making it possible for anyone with access to a webcam a chance to get a job. For many reasons, this idea helps streamline the recruitment process, saving both the potential employee and the employer the frustration.

With a noble cause and a bright idea, he went on to spearhead Async Interview and now this Back to Work campaign. However, he continues to face challenges. Aside from a company’s usual difficulties like marketing and strategy, establishing his company’s credibility remains a top priority. This is perhaps one of the biggest challenges he faces as someone so young. Further, his company sells a technology to other businesses, making it twice as hard as it would be selling to consumers.

The entrepreneur says he is inspired to continue moving forward. His business remains a personal goal for him. “I’m always challenging myself,” according to Chris. With this mantra, he always looks for new inspirations, and is open to grow as a person. The self-driven businessman certainly has a lot on his plate.

Pastor Keon Gerow

“I promised to never let me down again.” – Pastor Keon Gerow

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Through his ministry, Pastor Keon Gerow is showing us that, aside from faith, the biggest asset to those who are struggling, are those who have struggled. The creator of Catalyst for Change Church, Gerow has fashioned a place where truly anyone can go to worship; a place that accepts everyone despite their personal turmoil. By discussing issues that are difficult for many to hear, Gerow said he hopes to “create a platform for the church to speak truth to power, for those who are suffering silently.”

Gerow said, “I’m much more convinced that the real ministry of Jesus was outside the four walls of the church. Church is on a swift slope of decline, it’s just not relevant to the twenty-first century.”

He explained that, in a traditional church, people often have the Bible forced upon them. Gerow emphasizes the fact that people want to be met where they are, “you have to meet them at their need.” As an example, he cites Jesus’ work, “When people were hungry, Jesus fed them before he mentioned anything about God or his work.

Gerow grew up in Baltimore, Maryland with his brother and mother. He struggled during his parents’ bitter divorce; he felt as if it were his own fault. The death of his grandparents, with whom he was close, was very painful for him. With the family struggling on welfare, his mother worked two jobs while going to school for her Bachelor’s degree. Gerow stated, “My mom was determined to see my brother and me become a success.” However, facing turmoil in his household and within himself, Gerow ran away from home on three different occasions.

As a teenager, Gerow dreamed of attending Morehouse College, but he allowed his grades to slip and was kicked out of high school. Although he did enter Morehouse College, academics presented a challenge once again and he was asked to leave. “I think the reality of being dismissed from college turned on the light of common sense in me and challenged me to rise above my own personal defeat,” Gerow said.

Catalyst For Change Newspaper Article

He wrote the President of the college a sincere letter. It was his honesty and commitment to improve that changed the mind of the President and Gerow was given his second chance. Besides the disappointment of letting down his family and friends, he realized the biggest person he’d let down was himself. Gerow said, “I promised to never let me down again.”

Where did this man of faith and compassion get such inspiration? When he was nineteen years old, Gerow felt a strong calling into ministry. He chose to continue his education at Princeton, receiving a Master’s in Divinity.

At first, Pastor Gerow never wanted to start a church. He felt extremely unqualified, insecure and unprepared. It was his own Pastor who encouraged him to start a church. “He saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself,” Gerow said. He also explained that growing up with his mom provided him with an example of what success looks like every day. He said, “I had no excuse as to why I could not achieve.  She is what triumph looks like in human form.”

For Pastor Gerow, “Never Let You Down” is a promise we must first make to ourselves. With this promise, we can decide to live up to our potential. He believes that by making this one promise to ourselves, one’s whole life can change.  He said, “It calls forth the greatness inside each of us and demands that we live on purpose.”

For more information on Pastor Gerow and his church visit www.achangeiscoming.org

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Written By Amy Varano

“You were so petite, so beautiful, so perfect at 6lbs. 8oz. We counted every one of your fingers and toes and couldn’t believe that you were ours. It was at that moment that I thanked God for you. Then, 17 1/2 years later, he stole you from us…”

-Debbie Sciullo; September 16, 2002

Melissa Sciullo truly had it all.  At the young age of 17, she had already accomplished what many of her peers could have only dreamed of.  From the time she was a child, she had an inexpressible passion for living and made everyone around her feel important.

As the oldest of three children, she strived to give her brother and sister someone to look up to.  She was a member of the National Honor Society as well as her high school’s concert choir and softball team.  During her free time, she volunteered at her church teaching a religion class to kindergarten children.

To Melissa, no task was too small to be viewed as important.  No person was too inferior to be viewed as special.  She loved giving of herself to others and never wanted or expected anything in return.

Michael, Melissa & Heather

“She was just a well-rounded person,” says her mother, Debbie Sciullo. “She loved sports and music and was very, very proud of herself in her studies.  She had applied to seven good schools and was accepted to all seven her senior year… She was just on the threshold of really being able to soar.”

But on February 27, 2002, Melissa’s life came to a tragic end.

Now, nearly seven years later, Melissa is still as big a part of her family’s life as she was the day she left.  Everywhere they go and in everything they do, she is always there with them.  The Sciullos feel a sense of comfort every time they see a red rose growing or a cardinal flying by.

“They meant nothing to us before Melissa’s passing,” says Mrs. Sciullo. “They’re just around us whenever it’s a time when we need a little help or a little motivation, and definitely indicate that Melissa is always around us.”

Melissa, Debbie Sciullo, & Heather

Melissa is in every conversation and every memory.  When she died, her family members’ lives took on a new purpose.  They made it their goal to honor her name and to always keep her memory alive.

“The phrase ‘Never Let You Down’ has been in my mind since the day of Melissa’s accident.  It has sort of been our motto.  To say that I will never let her down is a goal I strive for every single day… Those words can mean different things to different people, but when you lose someone, there just really isn’t anything that’s more important,” says Mrs. Sciullo.

Shortly after her accident, the Sciullo family created a memorial website so that Melissa’s friends and loved ones can always log on to read poems, to write to her or to simply see her face again in the collage of photos on the site’s main page.

“Initially there could be a couple hundred entries a day,” says Mrs. Sciullo.  “But we still see how people come on, and when they’re having difficulties, they turn to Melissa… just for that extra support.  They feel like they have an angel.”

The Sciullo family also created a scholarship in Melissa’s name.  Each year since the accident, the Sciullo family has awarded one student from her high school with $500 to help pay for college.  Through the scholarship, they are able to help a local student while continuing to honor their daughter.

“At that moment, everybody in that room is thinking of her.  Not just the recipient, but everybody in the room,” says Mrs Sciullo.  “And as hard as it is for my husband and I to get up there and again put ourselves in the spotlight, in that moment I’m just so glad that we do that for her… And she just can’t be forgotten.”

Melissa Sciullo’s story was chosen as Never Let You Down’s story of the month in honor of her birthday on September 16.  Even at such a young age, she was true to the motto of Never Let You Down.  They were words that she truly lived by every day.

Andrew Hayward- NLYD Story of the Month

Written by James Betterson

Some call him crazy.  Others call him an inspiration.  But Andrew Hayward doesn’t do it to make friends.  When asked why running is such an important part of his life, he simply replies, “I run for my father.”

Hayward has lived in southern New Jersey his entire life.  Despite living in a small town, he always stays busy.  But even working six jobs at a time isn’t enough to make him retire his running shoes.  It has always been something he enjoyed, but when his father passed away two years ago, it became more than just a sport.  It became a promise to honor his father’s name.

In July 2006, Elijah Hayward lost his six-year battle to cancer. He worked as a chef for over 50 years and spent most of those years working more than 60 hours a week. “He was always the provider for our family,” says Hayward. “He was extremely dedicated to his work and to his family.  It meant a lot to me to give back a little when he needed it most.”

After the death of his father, running became even more of an outlet for Hayward. “I changed my mindset from running for fitness to running for the memory of my father,” he says. “I think of everything he sacrificed for me and my family, and I realize that even running a 50-mile race does not do him justice.”

The last stretch of a marathon is both mentally and physically demanding, but not for Hayward, who chooses to sprint the last few yards of every race.  Each time he approaches the finish line, he admits that he gets a little emotional. “I start to think about my father’s strength and dedication to the family, and that fuels me with the energy needed to sprint the last 100 yards,” he says.

Between working at a restaurant, teaching a high school marching band and studying for a master’s degree, Hayward has very little free time.  But that doesn’t stop him from spending time with his loved ones.  “I promised my father that I would take care of our mother after he passed,” he says. “Being the provider he was, he could not let go without realizing his sons could take care of his wife.”  Although Hayward no longer lives at home, he tries to see his mother as much as possible. Whether they have dinner together or simply watch some television, he cherishes every moment.

Andrew after running a marathon

To honor his father’s name, Hayward started a non-profit organization called, “For My Father.” His charity has participated in the American Cancer Society’s “Run for Dad” for two years now and recently presented ACS with a $500 check after the race.  Over the next few years, Hayward hopes to continue honoring his father’s memory by expanding his organization even further and raising more money for cancer research.

When asked the question, “What does Never Let You Down mean to you?” Hayward replies, “Never Let You Down is what I say to my father during the hardest parts of my races.  I have made a commitment to honoring his memory and there is no way that I will give that up. I have completed every race that I have started, no matter how difficult it was.”

Never Let You Down means exactly that; no matter the situation, no matter how hard something becomes, there is something inside of each and every one of us that motivates us to become more than what we are. There is no doubt that Elijah Hayward is a proud father smiling down at his son’s accomplishments.

Andrew Hayward is a prime example of someone who is living the Never Let You Down mentality. His dedication and strength inspire everyone around him, and that is why he was selected to be Never Let You Down’s story of the month.

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- Written by Nicolle Morales

“Never Let You Down means not taking no for an answer. It’s about getting things done, especially in the food industry, where there are a lot of barriers if you aren’t persistent.” – Christopher Paul

At the young age of 21, Christopher Paul wants to change the way people in Philadelphia enjoy their food. He seeks to provide one of a kind, healthy alternatives to the regular lunch truck foods – cheese steaks, chicken tenders, fries etc. – while educating his customers on what they are eating and why. Knowledge, he says that is missing from everyday food choices.

As a Drexel University senior studying Culinary Arts with a minor in Entrepreneurship, he seeks to open Green Carts, a mobile street carts and delivery service that will provide healthy breakfast and lunch to college students, athletes and professionals in the area.

Founder/CEO of Green Cart Catering

“As a freshman I didn’t want to graduate and work for someone else,” Paul says of the inspiration for Green Carts.

Born in Haiti, Paul was raised in Brooklyn from the age of 10 and speaks both French and Creole. Both his older brother and sister still live in Haiti. His brother graduated from culinary school and is a chef in his own catering company. Paul’s sister studied education and currently works as the vice principle of an American elementary school in Haiti.

Paul’s family was only affected by the earthquake through loss of assets and not lives, as they were fortunate enough to live outside of the immediately affected area.

While the mobile vending carts are scheduled to hit the streets in the next six to nine months, that is just the start of the empire that Paul plans to build. His business plan also includes a catering service, fitness training for students, becoming a vendor on Drexel’s campus, podcasts to provide weekly recipes for the average family and eventually a franchise that could have the carts serving the entire city and beyond.

Healthy Appetizers 2

Healthy Appetizers 1

“I also want to cater to the nutritional needs of student athletes with prepaid meals and continue my work as a personal trainer to students,” says the young man whose friends describe him as extremely physically active.

There was a time when Paul was not sure that he would finish college and maybe take a similar route Bill gates did, but the thought of finishing something he started encouraged him to keep going and he is looking forward to graduating and getting his business off the ground. As a balance to his studies and work on Green carts, Paul is a member of the Drexel Chess Club and the West Indian Student Establishment.

“Financial freedom is what keeps me motivated about Green Carts and looking at the bigger picture enables me to strive during the difficult start up phases of Green Carts,” Paul says.

During his co-ops (six month internships), Paul worked for Starr Events, Jeffery A. Miller Catering and his own company, Green carts. First-hand experience in the industry opened his eyes to the profit margin possible and the ease of entry into the world of food service. Paul’s co-op advisor and Drexel’s Baiada center provided him guidance in achieving his goal.

“To me, Never Let You Down means not taking no for an answer. It’s about getting things done, especially in the food industry where there are a lot of barriers if you aren’t persistent,” Paul explains.

If you were inspired by this story, please send an email to: team@neverletyoudown.com and share your thoughts on how this story
inspired you.