Welcome Back 2023!
Fall is back, and so are our Scholars!
Final Countdown for our Back to School Challenge
We don’t typically kick off the year with a fundraising campaign, but this year, AKLU and The AKLU Foundation, a family foundation that supports youth-serving programs, started our year off strong with a $20,000 donation to help fund our Scholar’s enrichment activities, including school activities and cultural programs. And they are challenging our incredible community to meet them in supporting our Back to School Challenge. The challenge began on September 23rd and ends this Sunday, October 22nd. We hope the community can donate an additional $20,000 to help us reach a goal of $40,000. So far, we are nearing another $10,000 in donations. Can you help us reach our goal for this challenge?
Every contribution counts!
Hurry before it’s over on October 22nd!
Speaking of Enrichment— Here is What Our Scholars did this Summer
“Going to my summer programs was an amazing way to meet new friends and also network if they lived in the Boston area and did similar activities to me.”
Several of our Scholars had incredible experiences this summer. Janay attended not only Carleton College’s Liberal Arts Experience but also attended Temple University’s Tyler School of Art & Architecture Summer Studios. She explored Philadelphia’s vast architecture and learned drawing, drafting, and model-making techniques. Aisosa attended the University of York’s Global Summer School and explored literary Yorkshire. And Lewis made a service trip to Honduras and impacted so many by helping build a school.
Our Scholars are Jumping Right into the New Year
Here are some of the activities they are planning to engage in this year:
Key Club
Student Government
Environmental Club
Track & Field
DEI
Black Student Union
Interact Club
Diversity Commission
Financial Literacy Club
Environmental Sustainability Internship
Drama Guild
And be sure to check out the AHS’ Fall play “Rent,” in which Aisosa will have a leading role as Joanne. Check out the show dates November 16-22 times and get tickets at Andover Theatre Arts!
Welcome to our Newest Scholar
We are excited to welcome Alexia Chege as a first-year Scholar. Alexia is from Clearwater, Florida. She has already jumped right into the school year and is excited to join Track & Field this winter. So far, she says the best thing has been “the variety throughout the school; there’s something for everyone”.
4 New Board Members this Year!
Emily Collins
An operations expert and highly organized tech-savvy professional, Emily is Senior Facilities Planning Manager at ALKU. She volunteers for a Massachusetts scholarship foundation, and this past year, she volunteered to take board meeting minutes. As she has already made an impact, she will continue in a board capacity, serving as Board Secretary.
Geno Concepción
Geno is an ABC alum ‘71 who regularly volunteers with Habitat for Humanity, Team Rubicon, and has been actively involved with ABC of Andover. This past year, he was a speaker during our MLK Pulpit Series, attended our 55th-anniversary Gala, and came for a week this summer to help with projects at the ABC dormitory. After attending Middlebury College and earning a BA in Economics, Geno served as an officer in the United States Army for six years. He went on to a successful career as a business executive in logistics for large corporations. We look forward to his vast experience and perspectives contributing to the board.
Lauren Jones
Lauren has served in several leadership positions in support of the Andover schools, including as PTO president. She has a BS in Accounting and has volunteered for the last several months with QuickBooks data input, payroll, and other tasks to support the treasurer role. Lauren will be serving in an Assistant Treasurer role and is highly enthusiastic to take on additional jobs to support the finance team.
Dr. Gloria Rosario Wallace
Gloria is an ABC alum ‘99 who has spoken at ABC events and recently helped with DEI-related board training. She is a passionate and widely published educator, scholar, and activist. She serves as Executive Director of Strategy and Implementation, Strategic Partnerships for Advancing Collective Equity in the NYC Department of Education. Her deep experience working in leadership roles in the school system, from teacher to principal to DEI-related leadership roles, should make a real impact on our program.
Summer Fun
For the past several years, the Joyall’s have hosted the Scholars during their orientation at their lake house. This always includes great bonding, memories, and of course ‘smores!
