DC Staff

• Meet Our Heroes: Youth Workers with a Mission

  By Charles Kuo, DC Programs Manager Photos Courtesy of AALEAD Staff  

  I think a hero is any person really intent on making this a better place for all people.- Maya Angelou

  Thi

• Back-to-School Memories with AALEAD

  By Chelsea Iorlano, Development & Communications Associate Photos Courtesy of AALEAD Staff Across Washington, DC, Montgomery County, MD, and Fairfax County, VA, summer break has ended and school is officially back in session. From planning lunch recruitment sessions to meeting with school staff and administrators, from printing intake forms to writing program lesson plans, AALEAD staff are hard at work preparing for another school year of successful programs. As staff work diligently to br

• The Beginning of my Journey with AALEAD

  By Naijla Faizi, DC Middle and High School Program Coordinator Photos Courtesy of Naijla Faizi Hi AALEAD Family & Friends!!   I am excited to be your new DC Middle & High School Program Coordinator! Prior to this full-time role at AALEAD, I was most recently the Summer Intern for AALEAD’s DC Middle & High School Summer Program. I had the pleasure of getting to know many of the youth that will be i

• Isang Bagsak: A Farewell to AALEAD

  Goodbyes and farewells are never easy. They are not meant to be but they are necessary. They are necessary in how we make decisions. They are necess

• What Have You Discovered?

  By Katie Watanabe, DC ES Summer Program Intern Photos Courtesy of Chelsea Iorlano, Development & Communications Associate After five weeks of excitement, education, and empowerment, our DC Elementary School Summer Program concluded with a closing ceremony called Discovery Day at Thomson Elementary School last Friday. Our youth displayed the numerous projects that they have been working on all summer, from commu

• My Education Matters

  By Charles Kuo, DC Elementary School Program Coordinator Photos Courtesy of AALEAD Staff Transitions are difficult at any age. During transitional periods, we are faced with making decisions that most definitely affect our futures. The process of changing from one state to another can produce stress and anxiety. One of the biggest transitions a youth faces is the transition from el

• A Season of Giving with AALEAD

  By Chelsea Iorlano, Development & Communications Associate Photos Courtesy of Chelsea Iorlano Each day, the youth we serve come to AALEAD Programs and give.  They give their attention, time, respect, appreciation, energy, and support.  Each day in programs, youth give of themselves and create the vibrant, nurturing, and strong community that is AALEAD.  AALEAD Programs could not provide the stable community and safe space that they do without the youth committing to their programs and

• The Spirit of Community: AALEAD DC Programs

  By Día Bùi, DC Middle & High School Programs Coordinator Photos Courtesy of Día Bùi  

• An Asian American LEAD Thanksgiving

  By Neel Saxena, Development & Communications Director Photos Courtesy of AALEAD Staff Growing up, every Thanksgiving I would sit at my parent’s dining room table surrounded by freshly fried samosas, simmering matter paneer, spicy chicken biryani, and canned cranberry sauce - all the while wondering why I couldn’t have a “normal” thanksgiving meal like they did on The Wonder Years. The holidays highlighted the duality of my identity and the conflict between my Asian side