Newsletter

The past few seasons have just flown by for the Alliance, and they have been filled with celebration and accomplishment. In June, we held our Annual Picnic and Student Recognition Program at the Curtis School. More than 300 families attended and cheered on as we celebrated the academic achievements of Alliance students. The honored students included 50 members of the Class of ’08. They followed the footsteps of previous graduating classes, and are all currently enjoying their freshman year at some of our country’s most competitive colleges and universities. The June celebration also gave us our first annual opportunity to award scholarships to two of our graduating seniors. Ezrah K. Bryant (Chadwick) and Daniel Velazquez (Harvard Westlake) were the winners of the Azaliy Hekymara Memorial Fund Scholarship Contest, and their beautifully written essays earned each of them a $1,500 award. Ezrah used his scholarship money to help meet his financial needs as he entered Loyola Marymount University in September. Daniel’s award was applied to his first year costs at Brown University.

Soon after we bid farewell to our graduating seniors, we became better acquainted with many of our new students during our annual Summer Orientation Program. Held in August at Pitzer College, the five-day intensive residential prep program helped 46 newly enrolled secondary students understand the rigorous academic challenges ahead. Classes were offered in English/Study Skills, Math, Computers, and a lab Science. Faculty for the program came from Buckley, Country, New Roads, Oakwood and Westland. Alliance students and alumni volunteered as student counselors and came from Brentwood, Brentwood alum/USC, Flintridge, Marlborough, New Roads, Oakwood, Vistamar and Windward alum/Fullerton.

As six hundred and fifty nine Alliance students settled into their classes this past September and five hundred and fifty one benefited from $9,646,804 in financial aid, the Alliance staff planned two events and began the admissions process for 2009-10.

On November 10th, we gathered supporters for our Luncheon Series. Generous friends of the Alliance attended the event at the Regency Club, where they had an opportunity to learn more about the Alliance, talk to Alliance board members, and enjoyed a program that featured presentations by Joanie Green, Director of the Crossroads Elementary School, and by Alliance student Kristina Murray, a senior at Crossroads Secondary School.

Just a few short weeks later, on Saturday, November 22nd, we held our biannual Across Colors Conference at Campbell Hall. Nearly 300 students and adults from Alliance member schools attended the day-long conference, which featured a keynote by Kip Fulbeck as well as workshops designed for students and adults to promote cross-cultural dialogue.

As we enter 2009 with our new president I am filled with a sense of hope and promise for our country. I continue to be grateful for the support of our member schools in providing opportunities that will forever change the lives of our bright, promising students and their families.

Manasa Tangalin, Executive Director