By: Freidricka Camille, College and Career Mentoring Program Coordinator, and Jiafu L., Annandale High School Alumni, Class of 2019 Photos courtesy of Freidricka Camille This summer 2019 marks the one year anniversary since post-secondary planning for high school seniors was fully incorporated into the College and Career Mentoring Program (CCMP), which supports older youth in AALEAD in planning for and navigating post-secondary transitions in life after high school. For youth who choose attend
By Pallavi Rudraraju, VA Middle School Program Coordinator
Photos courtesy by Pallavi Rudraraju
This week, AALEAD youth in Fairfax County learned about Hashtag Activism, a form of Digital Organizing.
By: Sharon Rajadurai, VA Summer Program Intern
Photos courtesy of Sharon Rajadurai
Hello all! My name is Sharon Rajadurai and I am this summer’s Virginia Program Intern. I am so excited to be living in Virginia this summer and to be fulfilling this role to the best of my ability.
By: Ari Pak, MD Programs Manager
Photos courtesy of AALEAD staff
QUIZ: What does the “E” in AALEAD stand for? No cheating!
(scroll down for answer!)
When Youth Facilitated Their Own Workshops
By Shaima Ahmad, Virginia Programs Manager Photos courtesy of AALEAD Staff Over the past few weeks, our youth at Annandale High School have worked hard to research, prepare, and facilitate workshops for their peers. Youth are given the opportunity to generate ideas for topics that they find interesting. This year we covered a variety of topics such as: <
By Pallavi Rudraraju, VA Middle School Program Coordinator
Photos Courtesy of Pallavi Rudraraju
As you may know, AALEAD’s theme for this 2017-2018 school year is “AALEAD Origins: Rooted in Our Past, Creating Our Future.” Our goal is to learn about our past and use it to create the future we want to see in the world. For the past few weeks in the VA MS After School Program, we have been focusing on just that!
By Emily N., current AALEAD youth and Pallavi Rudraraju, VA Middle School Program Coordinator
Photos Courtesy of AALEAD Staff
Last week, AALEAD’s VA Programs sent off our youth for winter break with a fun and activity-filled Winter Holiday Party. For many of our new AALEADers, it was the first time they interacted with staff and youth outside of their school. As a program coordinator, I am thankful for and proud of all the hard work our VA youth put in to the party. Our Youth Councils playBringing out the Family of AALEAD
By Neel Saxena, Executive Director Photos Courtesy of Various Staff Logo Courtesy of DC Programs Manager, Charles Kuo Asian American LEADs orgins are rooted in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington, DC where Sandy Dang, AALEAD’s founder, saw the unmet need in low-income Vietnamese refugee youth and made supporting th
By: Pallavi Rudraraju Photos Courtesy of AALEAD Staff As I near the start of After School Programs in Fairfax County, and head into my fourth month as the VA Middle School Program Coordinator, I feel so grateful for a wonderful beginning to my journey in the VA Middle School Program. Over the past few months, I have worked with MD and VA high schoolers during their leadership retreat, co-facilitated the VA MIC CHECK Summer Program, and learned immensely along the way. One important less