Spotlights

• 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

• Changed For Good, Farewell to AALEAD

  During the final song in the musical Wicked, the Good Witch, Glenda, and the Wicked Witch, Elfaba, are in Elfaba's castle. They know the castle is about to be o

• Greetings From YLan!

  By YLan Nguyen, MD Middle School Program Coordinator Photos courtesy of YLan Nguyen Hey everyone, I am excited to join AALEAD as a Maryland Middle School Program Coordinator! I’m moving into my fourth week as a full-time staff and my experience so far has been nothing short of exciting. The staff has been so welcoming, it’s been great working with everyone. 

  Memories at AALEAD: An interview with Lisa, a 5th Grade AALEADer

  By Charles Kuo, AALEAD DC Elementary School Program Coordinator, and Lisa, AALEAD Youth Photos Courtesy of AALEAD Staff As we approach the end of the school year, AALEAD staff and youth reflect on the memories we have made this past year. We also congratulate many of our youth who are transitioning to new schools. Lisa, a 5th grader at AALEAD Bancroft, has been a part of AALEAD for the past four years and will be going to middle school in the fall. In this int

• AALEAD: A Second Home

  By Charles Kuo, DC Elementary School Program Coordinator Photos Courtesy of AALEAD Staff

• 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

• Volunteer Voices: Jimmy’s Story

  By Stephanie Lim & Tina Ngo, AALEAD Staff Photos Courtesy of Stephanie Lim, AALEAD Staff As we kick off the start of a new school year, Asian American LEAD (AALEAD) staff are always excited to reunite with youth, but also, another very important part of our AALEAD family - our volunteers. This month's spotlight focuses on Jimmy, an AALEAD volunteer who started working with us in October 2012 at the beginning of his college career. Jimmy is now a senior at the University of Maryland C

• AALEAD Making Gains in VA!

  By Yonsoo Kang, VA Middle School Program Coordinator Hello again! Last year, AALEAD’s Mentoring & Volunteer Programs Manager, Tina, and the VA Programs Manager, Shaima, worked really hard to establish AALEAD’s VA Programs, first through the Mentoring Program, then after school with the VA High School Program at Annandale High School. We are now expanding into Poe and Holmes Middle Schools in the surrounding community. Administrators and counselors in both schools have