Educational Empowerment

• Why AALEAD Celebrates National Mentoring Month

  By Stephanie Lim, Mentoring & Volunteer Programs Coordinator Photos Courtesy of AALEAD Staff As we approach the end of National Mentoring Month,  I would like to first and foremost thank all of our

• National Mentoring Month: Kelvin and Fucheng

  By Kelvin C., Current AALEAD Mentor Photos Courtesy of Kelvin C., Current AALEAD Mentor & AALEAD Staff Thank you for joining us once again as we observe National Mentoring Month. Let's continue celebrating the contributions of our Asian American LEAD (AALEAD) mentors with this post from Kelvin C. Happy National Mentoring Month! -Stephanie Lim, Mentoring & Volunteer Programs Coordinator

  National Mentoring Month: Brian and Ali

  By Brian L., Current AALEAD Mentor Photos Courtesy of Brian L., Current AALEAD Mentor As we continue to celebrate National Mentoring Month at Asian American LEAD (AALEAD), we turn to the following post, which comes to us from one of our DC mentors, Brian L. What a powerful thing it is to connect, grow, and learn from each other. Thank you, Brian, for sharing your story. Happy National Mentoring Month! -Stephanie Lim, Mentoring & Volunteer Programs Coordinator

  The Spirit of Community: AALEAD DC Programs

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

• AALEAD Voices

  By Shaima Ahmad, VA Programs Manager Photos Courtesy of Shaima Ahmad This past week three AALEAD youth from the VA High School Program at Annandale HS had the opportunity to attend a Student Voices Session at the US Department of Education with Secretary Arne Duncan and Under Secretary John King. The session was focused on hearing stories and gaining feedback from first generation immigrant youth and their families in regards to their experiences with the US education system. Despite being n

• 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

• Dignity and Pride as the AALEAD Family Grows

  By Yonsoo Kang, VA Middle School Program Coordinator, and Eileen Chen, VA Programs Intern Photos Courtesy of Yonsoo Kang, Eileen Chen, and the Heinz History Center “…the movements translate to ‘I’m not above you, you’re not above me, we’re side by side, we’re together…’” – LaMont Hamilton, Smithsonian Artist Research Fellow at the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage,

  After the Guitar Workshop: Backstage with Bernard and Nanc

    By Ari Pak, MD High School Program Coordinator Photos Courtesy of Ari Pak “Joy can be a joy and sadness can be a sadness… With guitar, I can express as much as what I