By: Sharon Rajadurai, VA Summer Programs Intern and AALEAD Virginia Youth Program Coordinators (YPCs) Photos courtesy of AALEAD staff Virginia Summer programs have been two weeks filled with fun, learning, and growth. Our days begin with ice breakers and team building activities led by our eager Youth Program Coordinators (YPCs). YPC is an opportunity for our high school AALEADers during the summer to develop their leadership skills by participating in the
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 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 Yonsoo Kang, VA Middle School Program Coordinator Photos Courtesy of AALEAD Staff Hello everyone!  It's Yonsoo again. It seems like only a couple months ago when I first arrived at Holmes Middle School in late September as AALEAD's new VA Middle School Program Coordinator.  A few weeks had passed and I was a bit crestfallen because we only had four youth enrolled in AALEAD Programs at Holmes.  What was I supposed to do?  What kind of exciting activities were there for four people?
By Yonsoo Kang, VA Middle School Program Coordinator Photos Courtesy of Yonsoo Kang Hello hello! Spring is finally here and my allergies are not acting up for the first time in my life! Our youth in VA had some interesting experiences during February and March. In February, we learned about famous Black activists, artists, and leaders in the US and around the world during Black History Month. In March, VA Programs Intern Eileen and I helped our youth to become young professionals by expos
By Tina Ngo, AALEAD Staff Photos Courtesy of Angela B., CSF-DC Every January, Asian American LEAD (AALEAD) celebrates National Mentoring Month in honor of our committed mentors and the positive impact that they have on our youth. Last week, we held our second annual Mentor Appreciation Month Celebration at the Verizon Center Dewar's 12 Coaches Club with five partner organizations: Capital Partners for Education (CPE), the DC College Success Foundation (CSF-DC), For Love of Children (FLOC-DC), t
By Ari Pak, MD High School Program Coordinator Photos Courtesy of Keo Xiong, MD Middle School Program Coordinator
Martin Luther King Jr. posited that “Life’s most persistent and
By Tina Ngo, AALEAD Staff Photos Courtesy of Tina Ngo, AALEAD Staff This past weekend, seven youth from Asian American LEAD’s (AALEAD) Mentoring Program, MD High School Program, and VA High School Program had the exciting opportunit