Hannah Gordon on LinkedIn: Very proud to have been a 2024 Social Impact Fellow this year! My team… (2024)

Nothing brings more joy than the opportunity to mentor youth !! These are the young boys & girls who take our organization’s mission, vision & values far & wide into their lives, communities and the people they impact !! These summer interns presented their works to the audience who were thrilled for their brilliance and diligence exhibited in their accomplished works. The solutions they proposed could lead to many innovations & game changing system.Like Dr. Ravi Brahmbhatt said - our future entrepreneurs in the making ! Projects presented:- Community Needs Assessment - Youth Mental Health Awareness- Healthy Foods Advocacy- Public Health Research (Life in Covid Study)- Biomedical Project ( Blood Transportation & Navigation)

14

3 Comments

After 8 years of volunteer service with Sushil Raja as a Mentor, Cohort Leader, and Program Director, I’m thrilled to join the Board of Directors of Minds Matter NYC.I’m excited to continue to amplify a mission that’s close to my heart: closing the educational equity gap by empowering under resourced, high-achieving high school students get into college, graduate, and build a successful career.Who does Minds Matter support?The average family income for a student accepted to Minds Matter is $35K, 95% of students identify as BIPOC, and 99% are the first in their family to go to college.What outcomes does it drive?100% of Minds Matter students are accepted to a 4-year college or university, 45% attend highly competitive colleges (like Brown, Georgetown, Cornell, and MIT), and 90% graduate from college within 4 years.In my new role, I’m focused on bringing more resources to the organization so that it can grow to support more students. If Minds Matter’s mission resonates with you, let’s talk about how you or your employer can contribute.1 - Your time: Depending on your interests and skillset, there are different ways to directly work with students. Volunteering with Minds Matter has been one of the most fulfilling things I’ve done in my life.2 - Your money: Donations enable the organization to provide resources to each student such as: SAT prep and essay writing support, summer programs on college campuses, and stipends for college expenses.3 - Your company’s time and money: Companies can support a worthy cause and advance their own D&I initiatives - through sponsorships and partnerships to create internship and job opportunities for Minds Matter’s incredible pool of talented students.

114

8 Comments

April brings a wave of new beginnings with the new school year and the magic of summer. By virtue of what we do, it's a time when many families reach out for guidance, and it’s two questions: one (a)- how are admissions at your schools and (b) which school (yours or outside your network) should I send my kid to and, two- as an educator, what do you recommend my kid should do over summers?!Professionally speaking, I know that for most school administrators, admissions remans the ‘Holy Cow’ of the system. At our schools, we function with a focus on creating nurturing environments that foster academic excellence alongside holistic development. Transparency is key but more than numbers, we are always curious about impact. my advice remains constant – visit schools, experience their ethos, and see what efforts are being made. Schools are never nurtured on spreadsheets and my sheer numbers, but on values and value-adds. 😊 Choosing a School is a deeply personal decision. While I cannot and have never recommend a specific school, I firmly believe that every family should visit and experience schools (Psst: at Seth M.R. Jaipuria School, we have over 50 across 6 states pan-India!) to find the perfect fit. There's no one-size-fits-all answer – it's about what resonates with you and your child. I can vouch for so many of my friends and colleagues in the education fraternity who are doing a stellar job in shaping the present and future of the country through their schools. Summer, on the other hand, is a gift. It's time for exploration, for building memories, and for letting children be children. As the school year winds down, summer stretches before us. Let's give our children enriching experiences, but also remember to let them be children. As someone who lost near and dear ones fairly early, I can promise you the biggest vacuum in my life is not being able to have my daughter, nephew and niece get love and caring from grand-parents. Oh well. C’est la vie. Those who can, embrace the sunshine, soak in the season, and create lasting memories together as families. Workshops, summer camps, internships are all important, but so is spending time together as families, as communities. Let's make this year one for learning, growing, and creating beautiful memories, together. PS: This post comes courtesy of several queries that came to me on the mentioned topics; I am predicting the next set of questions would be on the dreaded A-word. Appraisals! More on that soon.;-) Seth M. R. Jaipuria Schools | #admissionseason | #admissions | #summertime | #summercamps | #MondayRamblings

101

6 Comments

Why are pathways between learning and earning so often broken? Drawing on insights uncovered at a convening of experts across #highered, #workforce, #philanthropy, and #policy, a new report from WGU Labs identifies key challenges including a lack of a shared language around skills, outdated approaches to student resources and internships, a one-way learning model, and overlooked transitional periods in the learner journey.While improving partnerships between higher ed and the workforce has been a shared goal for some time now, it’s clear these efforts can be improved upon. To that end, the report surfaces several potential solutions ideated by the convening of experts.Glad to see all the innovative thinking that comes to fruition when we work together toward solutions that benefit learners, higher ed institutions, and the workforce.Read the report: https://lnkd.in/dipMisbv

75

1 Comment

250. The number of First Gen Scholars we serve on an annual basis. 6,000. annual total of first-generation, low-income students in the County of San Diego who meet the requirements to apply for a four-year university, each with the potential to make a significant impact. 50%. The percentage of first-gens each year in San Diego who DO NOT apply for this opportunity.If you were the first in your family to go to college, we hope that the stories that our Scholars resonate with you.The question to ask yourself is… what if YOU had First Gen Scholars…where would you apply? Where would you attend? This fall, while we have 16 Scholars from all over San Diego attending Ivy Leagues, Stanford and USC (almost all on full rides), what we are most proud of is that 8 out of every 10 of our Scholars are on track to graduate with no debt! Our summer program is fully funded by the school districts, we have made a promise to support our Scholars year-round. In addition, we have over 700 Scholars currently in college that we continue to support. Our goal is to create that talent pipeline to fulfill the 20K priority sector jobs so that scholars may have thriving careers and build generational wealth for their families.You can play a pivotal role in supporting First Gen Scholars by donating today. https://lnkd.in/gwte4czDThe 250 students we serve each year represent just a fraction (1/24th) of the San Diego students who are eligible and deserve the opportunity of a higher education. If you are a local San Diego Company or organization, we are developing a more robust high school and college internship program and we would love to meet with you to see what that partnership could look like. Thank you for your support.A special shout out to the LOCAList San Diego and Fox 5 San Diego for highlighting us, and to John Lee and Venture X San Diego for allowing the use of your beautiful space. #FirstGenScholars#TheFutureIsFirstGen

46

1 Comment

This morning, I had the privilege of attending a Public School Forum of North Carolina work session at The William and Ida Friday Institute for Educational Innovation. I gained insights into the current trends in education across North Carolina. These trends are reflective of many other states in the US and have significant implications for nonprofits, philanthropic agencies, business partners, teachers, and policymakers. Here are some of the key takeaways:1. Nonprofits and philanthropic agencies are seeking innovation in education but are also skeptical about it. The critical question is whether to fund incremental change or moonshots.2. Business partners prioritize district partnerships that positively impact communities through internships, certifications, and other application-based approaches to learning.3. Authentic leadership opportunities for teachers are essential for talent retention, and redefining traditional teacher roles is crucial to position talented people with students.4. There may be a growing gap between communities in terms of literacy around the opportunities and risks of harnessing generative AI. Intentional stakeholder literacy and early-phase planning efforts can help modulate the tension between untested innovation and outlawing technology.5. The need for bold, agile education policy seems perpendicular to the current legislative appetite. We must reinforce the expectation that elected officials 'meet in the middle' to lead much-needed change.These trends represent my synthesis of critical trends across North Carolina and the United States. I welcome you to share insights based on issues in your local community. Let's help one another uplift the adage that 'all politics are local' to address these global challenges.Advanced Learning Partnerships, Inc Mary Ann Wolf #EducationTrends #LocalPolitics #GlobalChallenges

28

2 Comments

What are creative K-12 schools up to? After a summer of concerning data on student test scores and lost learning time, the #CanopyProject, a joint venture between CRPE and Transcend, is spotlighting innovative schools that focus on equity, embrace diversity, and prioritize marginalized students' potential. The 2023 Cannopy annual report is live now. Our top findings:➡️ Learning environments in Canopy are vibrantly diverse and focused on the strengths, needs, and potential of students who have been marginalized. ➡️ While certain approaches like project-based learning and culturally responsive practices appear to be widespread, schools are drawing from a wide range of teaching and learning practices that depart significantly from the status quo. ➡️ Many Canopy schools have used these practices for a long time, including before the pandemic.➡️ More than 70% of Canopy public schools are innovating without centralized support from district or charter innovation initiatives.➡️ About one-third of Canopy school leaders agreed that political debates outside of their schools were affecting their ability to deliver on their educational mission.➡️ Canopy schools assess students on a broad set of outcomes, including deeper learning and social-emotional learning, mainly using assessments they create themselves.We encourage you to explore the report--and if you're a member of the Canopy, share this post! #equityineducation #diversityineducation #CanopyProject

11

1 Comment

You've heard about the "DRF Mafia". Want a little taste of what we're up to Dorm Room Fund? Scope our summer programming at DRF-- and a **sneaky** early drop of our student investment partner application. 👀Applications for our 2024 Summer Tracks are open! Using my somm skills here-- these pair nicely with a summer internship or full time building (not instead of). https://lnkd.in/eze6RKn6 This year, we're bringing back the hits:🦾 Women’s Investor Track (WIT):A 6-week investor training program for students who identify as women.💸 Women’s Founder Track (WFT): An 8-week curriculum for builders who identify as women.💎 Blueprint Investor Track (BIT):Also spanning 6 weeks, this investor track is crafted for students who identify as Black, Latine, or Indigenous.🌈 PRISM:A 6-week journey into investment for students who identify as LGBTQIA+.🤓 PhD Track:Specifically designed for PhD students who are building companies and want a leg up with commercialization.These programs have three key pillars: a weekly speaker series (past speakers include Union Square Ventures' Rebecca Kaden, Floodgate's Ann Miura-Ko, OpenAI's Sam Altman…need we say more), a 1to1 mentor match, and a like-minded cohort of other students on the journey with you. And the cherry on top: you get to know the DRF Fam before fall recruitment kicks off in August. You can read more about themhere. https://lnkd.in/eDfYXxxqInterested in DRF but can’t swing this summer?Apps for the investment partnership are open early. https://lnkd.in/enceku5c 👈Last thing - if you’re an investor friend who wants to give back and help shape the next generation of investors and founders,please shout; we’d love to have you speak or be a mentor for one of our Summer Tracks. Caroline Toch can send you in the right direction.

141

11 Comments

Summer learning offers a myriad of benefits that can bestow children with a significant advantage in their educational journey.As we embark on understanding the profound impact of summer learning, it becomes evident that this period of exploration and growth can shape the trajectory of a child's academic success and personal development.Research has illuminated the transformative power of summer learning, shedding light on its ability to mitigate the detrimental effects of learning loss.By engaging in structured and enriching learning experiences during the summer months, children have the opportunity to not only maintain their academic proficiency but also make substantial strides in their educational pursuits, setting a strong foundation for future success. #summerlearning #education

As reported by the New York Times, a study done by the CDC found that 70% of families with high income participate in sports, 51% in the middle range, and 31% for those below the poverty line.Equal opportunities for physical activity should be available to all populations regardless of socioeconomic status. Barriers faced by US citizens to living a healthy life need to be addressed by fitness professionals, public health experts, government employees, teachers, students, and researchers. Good exercise habits start young, and lack of regular physical activity is a strong predictor for development of various chronic diseases. As part of my summer Voyage through the Obama-Chesky scholarship in conjunction with my Richter Research Grant at George Fox University I will be working on independent research this summer. My research project will assess hours of Physical Activity available across the five highest SES middle school districts compared to the five lowest in Washington County. I hope to further shed light on the growing gap seen in physical activity participation especially in populations experiencing poverty. Alongside of independent research, I'm excited to share about my internships for this summer that will further my work in fitness coaching for a more equitable future in youth sports. I will spend eight weeks with The Underground in Gresham, Oregon. This organization offers free CrossFit classes and youth mentorship to middle and high school students in an underserved and underrepresented area. I will then travel to Colorado to complete the in-person component of my internship with Forging Youth Resilience. This organization is a nonprofit helping youth build both physical and mental strength through accessible community-based exercise and mentorship programs. Disparities leading to shorter life expectancy because of lack of physical activity exist in Washington County, through the state of Oregon and all around the country. If income predictors are researched and better understood for lack of participation in sports and physical activity, then better policies and planning can be implemented to reduce chronic diseases and address disparities that disproportionately affect minority and low income populations. I'm immensely grateful for the support of the Obama Foundation through scholarship, mentorship, and professional development. I can't wait for my summer voyage, and couldn't be here without their support. #VoyagerScholarship

16

3 Comments