Dear High School Senior, First and foremost, I’d like you to congratulate yourself. That’s something I didn’t do enough. Contrary to what you may believe, graduating high school is a big deal. You may be the first in your family to do so, so stop undermining your accomplishments, no matter how “small” you might think they are. The only person stopping you is you; you’re your own worst enemy. If your goal is to attend college after high school, make sure that’s what you make this

BY CAROL KASULE, TEEN CENTER SOCIAL MEDIA INTERN The Teen Center is a welcoming after school program where high school students come. When students come to the Teen Center, it is where their joy and laughter begin after having a long day at school. It’s open from 2:30 pm to 6:00 pm. One reason why students should come to the Teen Center is to keep busy when they have nothing to do after school. Students can engage in different after school programs that enable them to

We asked a few rising college sophomores what they wish they had known before they went to college. Here is their advice organized under three lists encompassing communication and advocacy skills, academic and study skills, and social and college life. Communication & Advocacy Skills ❶ Take advantage of the mental health professionals that are on campus if you are struggling with ANYTHING mentally. They are there for you and should be used no matter how large or little your problems may seem. ❷ Go to Office

From Executive Director, Linda Saris, to her staff at LEAP for Education: Most of you reading this were not born or too young to remember RFK. There has been a lot of news this week on this 50th anniversary of his death at age 42 and today I was reminded of one of his famous quotes that I thought I would share. Bobby Kennedy was running for President against the Democratic backed candidate Hubert Humphrey in 1968. Senator Humphrey was the establishment candidate and defender of

Speech given by Jeneba Koroma, Salem State University student, LEAP’s College Success Program participant and MC of the night at Great Expectations 2018, LEAP for Education’s annual fundraiser. This spring, I will be graduating from Salem State University with a chemistry major and a minor in human biology. With hard work and dedication, I am proud to say I have completed my degree in just three years. One of my recent accomplishments is discovering what I want to do with my future. It’s a great passion

By Linda Saris on April 10, 2018 Thank you for attending Great Expectations. We have the largest crowd ever and appreciate the support of the community. Every year, we have a theme and this year the theme is positive adult-youth relationships. Tonight you have already heard the moving story from Cecilia and Ty and the inspiring talk by volunteer Cathy Pommer. These parents and volunteers whom these speakers represent, along with an amazing LEAP staff, create the fabric of our success. This year we had over

You don’t have to go far these days to find an article, data, conference or book about the Future of Work. It is clear that the way we work and live is poised to go through a major change as robotics, machine learning, artificial intelligence and genetic engineering (among other disruptive innovations) become more prevalent in our society. There are differences of opinions on the makeup, magnitude and timing of this change, but what is widely agreed upon is that our children entering school now will

Parent’s Viewpoint – LEAP for Education Speech delivered by Patty Ocampo at Great Expectations on 4/4/17   My name is Patty Ocampo, and I’m here tonight with my son Carlos-Daniel to talk about my wonderful experience with LEAP for Education’s College Success Program. I came to this beautiful country from Costa Rica looking for better opportunities for myself and my 3 kids. As a single mom, this program has been a great relief for me because it helps me pay attention to everything I need to

LEAP for Education Testimonial Speech Delivered by Kelly Santana King (Northeastern 2017, Mechanical Engineering, 4/4/17 My name is Kelly King and in May, I will be graduating from Northeastern University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. I am not much of a public speaker. The first time I had to give a speech I was in 8th grade and didn’t speak a word of English. My math teacher invited me to join the national Honor society, with the catch that I had to give a speech.

Speech delivered by Linda E. Saris, Executive Director of LEAP for Education Great Expectations, 15th Anniversary Fundraiser April 4, 2017 In 2000, a movie called Pay it Forward came out and was based on a novel by the same name written by Catherine Ryan Hyde. In this the book a social studies teacher challenges his class with this assignment, what if the world is just a big disappointment unless you take the things you don’t like about this world and you flip them upside down and