Last month,  almost 30 AALEADers from the Middle School Program, along with some of our amazing mentors, had the opportunity to take a trip to Washington, D.C. Students participated in a tour and had time to ask questions about the different parts of the building, art work, people and of course, about the government!

This trip came at a perfect time, as Middle School has been learning about the government (a part of our “Get Involved” theme this year!). Special thanks and shout out to Mr. David Cox and Ms. Susan Rohol from Minnesota Senator Al Franken’s office for giving us this wonderful opportunity.

Check out some photos below of our time at the Capitol!

Students from all of AALEAD’s Middle School programs got together on March 17th to play a couple rounds of laser tag at ShadowLand in Gaithersburg, MD.  Students who had shown a high level of enthusiasm and participation in after-school programs were rewarded with this great opportunity to bust out their laser tag skills and have a ton of fun.

Special shout-out to Middle School Coordinator Sharon Choi for her Hunger Games winning attitude.

On Saturday, February 25th, 2012, AALEAD Mentors and Mentees had the opportunity to hang out by skating (..and slipping & sliding) on the ice rink!  Mentors & Mentees gathered at The Wheaton Indoor Ice Arena in Wheaton, MD to spend a couple of fun hours on the ice.

It was so good to see Mentors and Mentees spending time together.  And it was great to see Mentors chatting and mingling; and for a few, it was their first time attending an AALEAD event with their Mentee!

As the gusty winds blew outside, Mentors, Mentees, and a few of AALEAD Staff Members enjoyed skating in the indoor ice rink.  It was an awesome way in closing out the month of February!

Silly faces !

AALEAD is proud to announce that our Keynote Speaker for this year will be Washington’s own Eun Yang, NBC News4 Anchor/Reporter and our Emcee will be Becky Lee, 2^nd Runner-up, Survivor: Cook Islands TV series and Executive Director of Becky’s Fund. Read more about our exciting speakers below:

Eun Yang

Eun Yang is a morning anchor on NBC4. She also serves as a host on NBC Washington Nonstop.

Before joining News4 in 2002, Yang was one of the first reporters hired by the National Geographic Channel in Washington. While there, she traveled all over the world, filing stories for National Geographic Today. Prior to that, Yang was at WUSA-TV for six years, working her way up from a reporter trainee to a substitute anchor.

Yang was named Alumna of the Year by the University of Maryland Asian Studies Program and received a Community Service Award from the Organization of Chinese Americans. She also received the Student Role Model Award from the Korean American Scholarship Foundation. Washingtonian magazine has recognized Yang twice, as one of DC’s 100 People to Watch and as one of DC’s Stars of Local TV News.

See her full bio here.

Becky Lee

As a young leader and catalyst for change in the fight against domestic violence, Becky Lee is the force behind Becky’s Fund, a national non-profit focused on domestic violence prevention and education.  After receiving her B.A. in Women’s Studies from the University of Michigan, she became a lawyer to help victims of domestic violence.  Interested in the prevention of domestic violence, Ms. Lee has dedicated her life and career to helping survivors of domestic violence over the last 13 years as an advocate, a policy associate, and an attorney.

After coming in third on the reality show, Survivor: Cook Islands, in 2006, she used her prize money to start Becky’s Fund, which executes its outreach strategy through national awareness and media campaigns, using radio, print and tv PSA’s to connect victims to resources and help. The organization leverages education, web 2.0 technology and essential resources to enable critical one-on-one connections between survivors and victims and works on addressing domestic and dating violence with both men and women as a human rights issue.

See her full bio here.

Come celebrate the Year of the Dragon with AALEAD as we highlight the personal success stories of our students, introduce you to our VIP hosts, and much more. At our event, you will have the opportunity to network among some of Washington’s top business and government leaders who are all committed to serving the needs of Asian American youth.

Honoring Latham & Watkins, LLP
as recipient of the 3rd annual Washington LEADer Award

Annual Dinner Honorary Chairs:

Congresswoman Mazie K. Hirono
Hawaii, 2nd District

Congressman Mike Honda
California, 15th District

Senator Daniel K. Inouye
Hawaii

County Executive Ike Leggett
Montgomery County, Maryland

Michael Wong
Principal, IBB Conulting Group

Individual Ticket: $125
Table of Ten: $1000
Click here for Corporate Sponsor Package info

Contact: Rick Chen
(202) 884-0322 x 104
rchen@aalead.org

Check back for exciting updates on the program!

Please enjoy the photo highlights from last year: