news & events

Five Colleges Dinner and Spring Event 2008: Reaching out to Summer Search Alumni!
by Diana Vargas, Boston Alumni Board Outreach Committee Chair, Brighton High School ’01, Bowdoin College ‘05

Five Colleges Dinner
Many Summer Search alumni attend one of the five colleges in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts—Hampshire College, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, and Amherst College. In an effort to bring all of area alumni together, Diana Vargas ‘01 and Denise Rodrigues ‘01, Summer Search Boston Alumni Board members, hosted the first ever Five Colleges dinner on February 21, 2008. The dinner was an opportunity for underclassmen and upperclassmen to connect and relax outside of their school environments. Eleven alumni from Boston, San Francisco, and New York City were in attendance, having the opportunity to meet and interact with alumni from across the nation. Students were able to share academic and personal stories, including challenges they face adjusting to college life. Many upperclassmen and women shared their knowledge about a variety of topics, from academic policies on dropping classes to studying abroad experiences to dealing with homesickness and safe partying on campus.

The Alumni Outreach Committee would like to thank the alumni who made the dinner fun and possible! From Boston: Francisco Rodriguez (Hampshire ‘10), Fernando Baez (UMass Amherst ’08), Lunise Joseph (UMass Amherst ’11), and Tammy Mak (Smith College ’11). Holding down the fort for New York: Alex Constantin (UMass Amherst ’11). Representing San Francisco: Rainbow Wong (Smith College ’08), Luisa Tsang (Smith College ’10), Christina Tham (Mount Holyoke ’11), and Eva Pan (Mount Holyoke College ’11).

The Alumni Outreach Committee will be making visits and hosting events for alumni at several more colleges this fall. So keep an eye out for invitations in your e-mail inboxes and on Facebook! Join Summer Search Boston Alumni Facebook group if you are not a member already!

A special congratulations to all Summer Search alumni 2008 college graduates—best wishes and stay in touch!

Summer Search Leadership Dinner emcee Karla Acevedo at her graduation from Boston College, crossing a bridge into her post-college life.

2008 Spring Event
The Summer Search Boston Office welcomed its biggest class yet into the Summer Search Alumni Association at the annual Spring Event held on May 12, 2008, at Boston Latin School. Before the ceremony began, Summer Search Boston Alumni Board members facilitated a small ceremony where they answered questions about life as Summer Search alumni after high school. Our new alumni were also given advice on ways to stay in touch and the meaning of giving back to Summer Search and to their communities. The Class of 2008 made history at the Spring Event when they began the first ever Senior Class Gift Campaign by raising $108.00! The Class Gift will be presented to Summer Search Boston at Boston’s Summer Alumni Party on July 23. Congratulations to all Summer Search high school graduates in 2008 and welcome to the Summer Search Alumni Association.

Bridges to Success: The 2008 Summer Search Boston Leadership Dinner
by Erin George, Boston Alumni Board Member, Boston Latin School ’02, Bryn Mawr College ‘06

Summer Search Boston annually hosts a Leadership Dinner to honor its partners and donors and to raise money for Summer Search. More importantly, it is also an opportunity to honor the incredible accomplishments of Summer Search students as they embark on their summer trips, positively impact their communities, and stand up as leaders wherever they may be. This year’s dinner was held on May 1st, 2008, at the Seaport Hotel. It was the first Leadership Dinner that I’ve attended, and I figured it would be similar to other Summer Search events—Summer Search staff and student speakers, maybe a slideshow or video, and an awards ceremony. In some ways, the Leadership Dinner followed that typical Summer Search format. However, to sit in a room filled with 500 people all there to honor and support an organization brought the strength of Summer Search to a whole new level. The mayor of Boston was in attendance, as were a multitude of corporate luminaries, 50 current Summer Search students, 35 alumni, and several family members and friends.

To kick off the dinner, the audience had the opportunity to watch “This is My Boston,” a video showcasing Summer Search students and supporting referral teachers and counselors. The evening’s speakers included Debbie Krause, Summer Search Boston’s Executive Director; Jay Jacobs, Summer Search’s CEO; Karla Acevedo ’04, Youth Chair of the Leadership Dinner, and two current Summer Search seniors, Yanardy Sanchez from Media Communications Technology High School and Viergeline Felix from Prospect Hill Academy. All of the speakers were energetic and profound, moving and humorous. I was particularly impressed by the eloquence of both Yanardy and Viergeline, who showed the audience a glimpse of their stories through the magic of their words. You know, you can read about Summer Search’s growth and see the statistics of how many students Summer Search serves and who has joined the growing ranks of Summer Search supporters, but nothing compares to experiencing such an enormous gathering of individuals who believe so deeply in what Summer Search continues to achieve. We as alumni are testaments to Summer Search’s accomplishments. I left the Leadership Dinner proud to be a member of the Summer Search family and feeling lucky all over again that someone asked me once what it was like to walk in my shoes.