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Appreciation from John Scully, Founder and Board Chair
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John H. Scully, Founder and Board Chair, Making Waves Foundation |
After nearly 20 years with us, Sherry Smith is taking a well-deserved sabbatical from her role as Managing Director of Making Waves Foundation. Sherry's accomplishments have been significant, and we deeply value her ability to convey the urgent need for our work. Upon her return in the fall, she will take on a new, outward-facing role to better support our planned growth: spreading the news of our mission and approach. She will work to heighten our impact by cultivating and solidifying external relationships and partnerships.
As we continue to broaden our footprint to serve more Bay Area students, to take us to the next level and position us well for the future, we are pursuing a search for a Chief Advancement Officer to head up development and communications efforts. In the interim, CFO/COO Steve Roth will oversee these activities.
All of these steps will help us offer educational opportunities to many more underserved students in the region while promoting educational access for all to a broader audience. It is quite an exciting time for the organization! Thank you for supporting our committed leaders and thriving students who deserve the best.
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College & Alumni Program (CAP) Thriving!
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| Melissa Fries, Director of CAP, Making Waves Foundation |
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THANK YOU to all of our inspiring supporters who have allowed us the privilege to fulfill our mission to help Wave-Makers enter college and provide them with the tools required to graduate!
We couldn't be more proud of our 417 CAP college students currently navigating the challenges of higher education. Working alongside our dedicated coaches and financial services team, our students are building upon their successes. We are excited to see another cohort cross the college finish line with minimal debt this spring.
Our expansion model, CAP Bay Area, has phenomenal results after just one term. We have significantly increased the number of students we serve throughout the Bay Area as we just accepted a second wave of students. Stay tuned for more information about this group of amazing Wave-Makers who will begin college this fall.
We are truly grateful for the continued generosity and support of our CAP donors and couldn't do this work without YOU!
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ALUMNI REFLECT ON THE IMPACT OF CAP
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CIERA-JEVAE GORDON
"Within the coaching sessions we
talked about my academic goals career goals, and even social
goals. It allowed me to map out
a plan for each of these sections
of my life. I plan to apply to a
Ph.D. program in the Fall of 2018,
and that is in large part due to
my coach."
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ENRIQUE ROMERO
"Making
Waves' CAP services and support
completely changed my educational trajectory. I would not have graduated from
Pitzer College without Making Waves and my college coach."
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9th Wave - Richmond; UC Santa Cruz '16;
California College of the Arts - MFA '18
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9th Wave-Richmond; Pitzer College '16; Fulbright Scholar 2016-17
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- Serving high school graduates from Making Waves Academy in Richmond
- Students are enrolled in community colleges and 4-year institutions
- 81% in 4-year colleges are on pace to earn degrees in 4-6 years
- Scholarship funds provided as needed up to $10,000/year, per student
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- Serving low-income 4-year college-bound students from throughout the Bay Area
- Cohort 1 has 148 college students
- Cohort 2 will have 100 students this fall
- 96% of Cohort 1 earned GPAs above 2.0 in their first term of college
- Scholarship funds provided as needed up to $5,000/year, per student
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CAP ALUMNI GIVES BACK: Ajani Jackson
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Ajani Jackson, M.D., Making Waves' Alumni |
Ajani Jackson, M.D., became a Wave-Maker in 1989 and is a proud alumni of the first wave of the initial Making Waves program. Today he resides in greater Sacramento and enjoys a promising career in medicine, working as an Adult, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist for the underserved.
Jackson credits Making Waves with helping him achieve his success:
"Making Waves nurtured my drive to succeed and was committed to my academic goals by investing in my potential, so that I would not be deterred by environmental or financial limitations."
He remains committed to our work and proudly gives back as a mentor to our students in addition to contributing to Making Waves financially as a donor. "I hope to continue to have the opportunity to take on more of an active role within the program by being more involved in alumni development and career guidance."
We extend our gratitude for Jackson's ongoing support and dedication to our increasing community of fellow Wave-Makers, today and well into the future.
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CAREER EXPLORATION DAY AT MAKING WAVES ACADEMY
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Keynote speaker, Devin Lars, shares his story with Making Waves Academy students.
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Making Waves Academy hosted its annual Career Exploration Day on March 3, 2017.
Representatives from a wide range of industries participated, including Google, Golden State Warriors, Sunrun, UC Berkeley, LinkedIn and more to share about their careers with our Academy students.
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2016-2017 Annual Fund Appeal
Help our students cross the college finish line and
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Since 1989, Making Waves has provided life-changing educational opportunities to underserved youth. By focusing on rigorous academic preparation, holistic support services and most uniquely, a commitment to follow our students through attaining a college degree, our program has produced unprecedented high school and college graduation rates.
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3220 Blume Drive | Suite 250 | Richmond, CA 94806
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