United by a belief in college access, the mission-driven members of Steppingstone’s Board of Young Professionals (BYP) are always seeking ways to come together in support of the program. 

This fall, they jumped in to help with College Readiness programming, collaborating with Support Services staff on a new virtual workshop series throughout November.

“What most excites me about being involved is giving back to an amazing community of Scholars,” says BYP’s Kat Da Silva, who teamed with Danny Bynoe-Farid ‘04 and Felix Liang ‘06 to coordinate the group’s engagement. 

Fellow BYP members Adrian Obleton and Derek DaSilva ‘09 both stepped up to design and lead workshops. In a Nov. 7 workshop on Time Management and Organizational Skills, Adrian focused on teaching Scholars “how to balance their school work and other responsibilities while making time for the things that they enjoy and give them energy.” 

On Nov. 14, Derek presented on Community Engagement and Extracurriculars with a goal of getting Scholars “excited about the idea of discovering passions.” As a Steppingstone alumnus, “I always get excited about connecting with current Scholars!” he adds. “I am especially excited about this workshop and guiding Scholars through what often is a formative experience during high school and college.”

As Kat reflects, “Navigating high school and college without COVID-19 was challenging, so I cannot imagine the hurdles Scholars currently face.” The November workshops address many of the challenges of planning for college, offering guidance and resources on everything from self-advocacy to the financial aid process to navigating transitions in a digital setting. 

Traditionally, Support Services has offered a one-day College Readiness Conference for Scholars and families. This year, adapting to the times, the team decided to create a series of virtual workshops on three November Saturdays. Advisors Makeda Daniel ‘09 and Phil Harris took the lead, joined by fellow advisors Halle Katz and Katie Ragsdale and director Thanh Nguyen.   

They were grateful to have the added support of the BYP. Its 25 members represent a wide range of career fields, from finance to law to education. Together, they contribute their time, energy, and expertise to Steppingstone through volunteering, fundraising, mentoring, networking, and more.

 

For Adrian, seeing himself in the Scholars has made him feel “personally connected to Steppingstone's mission.” 

“I was fortunate to get opportunities that let me be the first person in my family to go to college,” he adds. “It's exciting to be able to contribute to other kids going down that path.”

For more on the Board of Young Professionals, click here.