2008 NATIONAL ALUMNI SUMMIT

This past summer, Summer Search Alumni from all 7 offices packed their bags, put on professional clothes and headed to San Francisco for the Second National Alumni Summit. On August 1st and 2nd, over 200 Summer Search Alumni gathered at the event which focused on building a community of everyday leaders for sustainable change. A grand total of 21 NYC Alumni attended the Summit.

The Summit consisted of various workshops, panels, networking events, and fun as the alumni continued to build our alumni community into a force for change within Summer Search and the world.

Cynthia Rocha Diaz, an alumna from the San Francisco, class of 2006 and current Program Associate from the North Bay office was the Mistress of Ceremonies for the evening program. NTanya Lee, Executive Director of Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth and respected community organizer, presented the keynote speech on Friday, August 1st. After hearing from Summer Search Founder, Linda Mornell, and NTanya Lee, the alumni enjoyed an evening of socializing.

On Saturday morning, the alumni gathered together to listen to a diverse panel of community leaders about everyday leadership. They spoke about how they developed their 3 spheres of influence (self, family/peers, and broader society) and how to overcome challenges as everyday leaders.

After the panel, the alumni had a chance to meet and talk about their experiences over lunch. Next, the alumni attended various leadership development workshops which covered topics such as equality in education, community organizing, and social entrepreneurship.

After the workshops, the alumni gathered into small groups to discuss what it means to be an everyday leader, the changes that we want to make, ways that we can give back to Summer Search, and ways to build the Summer Search alumni community. We left the Summit full of inspiration to make a difference in our lives and communities. We hope that you would join us for the next National Summer Search Alumni Summit in the near future and help the change continue.

If you have more questions about the Summit, you can contact Jumin Kim, Director of Alumni Relations, at 415-362-5225 or jkim@summersearch.org or email the NYC Alumni Board at nycalumniboard@summersearch.org