Our Story
The concept of ECI is fairly simple. Since soccer is considered “the international sport” and is enjoyed by young men around the world, ECI uses soccer as the lure to create a supportive learning community for low-income adolescent boys who live in New Haven and thrive on the soccer field but require extra academic assistance.
The inspiration for ECI came about when its founder, Lauren Mednick, worked in an after-school program at a refugee resettlement agency. She was in charge of teaching first and second grade students; however, her classroom would regularly acquire a group of 4 rowdy seventh grade boys who were asked to leave their classroom due to poor behavior.
In the spring of 2007, Lauren started a recreational co-ed soccer team for middle school students and found that these 4 boys happened to be phenomenal soccer players and also gained confidence on the soccer field. These young men also began to respect their coach, Lauren, and would seek her out after they were let out of their class and request additional help on their homework. Ultimately, these boys who were receiving poor grades for the first three semesters of the year all made the honor roll for their final semester of seventh grade. At this point, Lauren realized the power that soccer could have as a source of confidence and motivation on these young men and others like them.
With her four former students in mind, Lauren founded ECI in 2008. These four students were ECI’s first members along with nine other middle school students who enjoyed soccer but needed access to educational opportunities.
From 2008 to the present ECI has had the privilege of serving multiple generations of students. 100 percent of ECI alums have thrived in and graduated from college. ECI alums tend to come back and mentor the new generations.ECI's current Head Coach and Director of Tutoring is an ECI alum who who was once in the shoes of the new generations of ECI students. ECI students also benefit from the fact that multiple college students in the program and ECI alums volunteer throughout the school year and summer to help guide the upcoming generations.
We are committed to empowering our student-athletes by providing access to academic and athletic resources, mentorship, and opportunities that enable individuals to shape their own growth and future success.
Our Founder & Executive Director
Lauren Mednick
Lauren founded Elm City Internationals in 2008. She was inspired by her experiences teaching in rural Ecuador, working with refugee students in Denmark, teaching and coaching soccer to refugee students in New Haven, and also by having attended New Haven Public Schools through middle school and a private college preparatory high school and seeing the disparities between the two.
Lauren received her BA from Mount Holyoke College in psychology and her MA degree from New York University in International Education Policy.
Our Director of Tutoring & Mentoring, Head Soccer Coach
Mohamed Kane
Mohamed is an ECI alum who grew up in New Haven, CT. He was the first and only Director of ECI's Remote Resource Academy which opened in 2021 to address the fact that the majority of ECI students are currently participating in "remote schooling" due to the pandemic. Currently, Mohamed serves as ECI's Head Soccer Coach and Director of Tutoring and Mentoring. His passion for soccer, dedication to education, and desire to help guide the next generation of ECI students makes him an effective coach, mentor, and teacher.
Mohamed received his BA from Dickinson College in International Business and Management.
Meet Our Board of Trustees
Teo Baldwin (President)
New Haven Fire Department
Lauren Mednick
Elm City Internationals
Tim Swenseen
The First Tee
Alexis Smith
New Haven Legal Assistance
Kit Gallant
Fernway
Michelle Mays
A Mays in Consulting LLC
Becky Harper
Hopkins School
Sam Gold
Lower CT River Valley Council of Governments