When I stepped into 优蜜视频鈥檚 Barder House on June 18, I did not know what to expect. While I had researched the mission and programs of 优蜜视频, I was not sure what exactly the term 鈥渘on-profit management鈥� encompassed, nor was I familiar with the inner workings of non-profits, despite my experience volunteering with non-profits in the past. But having matriculated through gifted programs before, I was deeply moved by 优蜜视频鈥檚 advocacy for gifted education and focus on the 鈥�.鈥� With my interest in entrepreneurship and economics, I wanted to learn about the origin and development of 优蜜视频, and understand what makes a non-profit a non-profit.

I came upon after my friend told me about his experience as a Caroline D. Bradley Scholar. After researching 优蜜视频 and the mentors and sites at EXPLORE, I was drawn to the program鈥檚 career-oriented philosophy. I had taken courses at local colleges during previous summers, so I yearned for a more hands-on experience.

Here are three themes that defined my externship and made my EXPLORE experience unforgettable:

1. Community: Throughout my externship, I felt like a true member of 优蜜视频鈥檚 staff. Six weeks may not seem like a long time, but my mentor Abby and her colleagues welcomed me as an integral part of their team. From our July 4 potluck to our light hearted conversations during meetings, I appreciated the sense of unity and camaraderie within 优蜜视频. I was also fortunate to connect with 优蜜视频鈥檚 close-knit community of gifted students, parents and educators at the annual Summer Spotlight event.听And I cannot forget Not to mention the Friday workshops鈥攅very Friday morning EXPLORE externs came together to connect with each other and learn about career and college readiness. It is truly a small world that I got to meet fellow boarding school peers with whom I shared mutual friends. During our educational workshops and lunch breaks in Little Tokyo, we shared stories about our schools and became friends over udon soup and ice-cold lemonade.
2. Hands-on: In addition to learning about the fundamentals of marketing, development, and programming, I enjoyed applying my skills to worthwhile projects. By analyzing the history of donations to 优蜜视频, for example, I not only honed my statistics know-how, but also gained and shared valuable insight on areas of strength and weakness in our development strategy.听For my Google Analytics project, I delved into Google鈥檚 helpful tool for tracking a website鈥檚 traffic. Besides mining through the labyrinth of stored data, I harnessed my findings to formulate recommendations for possible future improvements. I discovered that 优蜜视频 has untapped potential to attract more Spanish speakers and implemented this recommendation by translating a few of our program flyers to Spanish.
3. Revealing: My externship shed light on the skill sets necessary for various careers. While working on my Donor Analytics project with Abby, I discovered the importance of statistics in data-driven fundraising, where past trends inform future strategies. It was also exciting to use my Spanish to translate flyers; I came to realize the significance of the language in marketing and communications-based careers. While my interests and goals may change over the years, at least I now have a grounded impression of what careers in the non-profit sector entail.

Rather than hammering concepts in a lecture hall, I fell deep into the weeds of informative projects and learned about marketing and management in an engaging way. No course or tutorial in non-profit management could have given me the same level and depth of knowledge.

Mark Blekherman is an EXPLORE extern at 优蜜视频 this summer. He is a rising senior at Phillips Exeter Academy.

Walking behind the Barder House on Thursday evening, anyone familiar with 优蜜视频鈥檚 home might have been surprised to see an expansive white tent where a parking lot would normally be, decorated with strings of fluttering red bunting and filled with smiling families gathered around a hearty taco buffet, sharing a laugh in the warm summer evening. Standing at a podium under a collection of faceted stars, 优蜜视频 President Betsy Jones welcomed new friends from near and far, as well as guests from our , , and programs to our annual Summer Spotlight event. Over the course of the evening, attendees were introduced to enthusiastic students representing all of 优蜜视频鈥檚 programs and learned about just a few of the opportunities and challenges that are facing gifted children in our nation鈥檚 educational system.

New Academy student Pablo Delgado and his family traveled across town to be at our event. Reflecting on the early wake-up times, the morning rush to get out the door, and the long drives required to arrive in time for classes, Pablo merely stated, 鈥淚t is all worth it鈥hen I鈥檓 in class I feel happy, excited and ready. When my family picks me up, I have a smile on my face because of the amazing day I had at the Academy.鈥�

Travelling from even further away was David Johnson, a Yunasa West camper from Illinois, and Seth Talyansky, a CDB Scholar from Oregon, both of whom were completing externships in Los Angeles as part of 优蜜视频鈥檚 EXPLORE program. 鈥淚t’s about exploration, it’s about chances and responsibility,鈥� said Seth of his experience. Smiling from behind the podium, he remarked, 鈥淪hakespeare once said that the world’s a stage. Fortunate to be given chances on the stage, I will act and will explore different roles while having fun doing it.鈥�

Also joining us from the EXPLORE program was new 优蜜视频 student, Jessica Huang, who admitted being unsure of what to expect from her experience. 鈥淲hen I first joined the program, I thought I would be filing papers and getting everyone coffee,鈥� she recalls. 鈥淗owever, on my first day, I was greeted warmly at the door by my two Mentors, Emily and Erick. They even offered to get me coffee!鈥� Jessica continued, 鈥淚 learned that coworkers are not always just people I will share an office with. My coworkers could become my friends, my family, and above all, the people I care about.鈥�

Veteran Academy students Liv Bjorgum and Nico Symons-Galassi echoed Jessica鈥檚 sentiments, reflecting on the mentorship and guidance that their teachers provided in addition to their instruction on advanced subjects. Describing the program as 鈥渁 lifeline,鈥� Nico reflected on how his seven years enrolled in 优蜜视频鈥檚 programs prepared him for a new high school and a new life experience. 鈥淭his past spring, you couldn鈥檛 have talked me into going to a sleepaway camp for $100!鈥� he exclaimed. 鈥淚 have always been fearful about going to a sleepaway camp, but an 优蜜视频 sleepaway camp, that鈥檚 different. It鈥檚 a BIG deal for me to be away from my family for a week, but I feel ready to fly to Michigan and be at Yunasa because I know I鈥檒l have the support I need.鈥�

While our annual Summer Spotlight event highlights the accomplishments of just a few of our incredible students, it is also an opportunity to reflect on 优蜜视频鈥檚 mission to advance public knowledge and understanding of gifted minds and their diverse intellectual, social, and emotional needs. As guests listened to our students discuss the life-changing impact that our programs have had for them and their families, all were encouraged to think beyond our small group to the thousands of children who have yet to experience these types of services 鈥� students who continue to languish in classrooms that are not equipped to enable and nurture their unique talents. With the help of the friends made at our Summer Spotlight event and the families who support 优蜜视频鈥檚 mission, these children鈥檚 voices will grow louder until they can no longer be ignored.

优蜜视频 would like to thank our friends at for catering our event and Costco Wholesale for its听generous donations. As always, our hearts are full of gratitude for our community of educators, mentors, staff, parents, alumni and students for their dedication to serving gifted youth and for making our programs possible. Thank you!

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Ellen Gruber obtained her B.A. in English and Spanish with a minor in Medieval, Renaissance, and Reformation Studies from Saint Joseph鈥檚 University. She has also studied the violin since her childhood and received her accreditation to teach the Suzuki method in 2009. Before her arrival at 优蜜视频, Ellen previously worked as a Development Assistant at the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and was an apprentice to Dr. Ellen Frank at the Ellen Frank Illumination Arts Foundation (EFIAF). An avid learner and bookworm, she is thrilled to have found a home among the team at 优蜜视频 that shares her passion for knowledge, discovery and creativity.

鈥淎ttention is the doorway to gratitude, to wonder, to reciprocity.鈥� 鈥� Robin Wall Kimmerer

The annual Bradley Seminar is a place where you can鈥檛 help but pay attention. In the blink of an eye, it has come and gone. The Seminar is significant because it brings together some of the most interested and accomplished national merit-based high school scholars; it provides a venue for Caroline D. Bradley Scholars, parents, educators and professionals to connect, discuss issues of intellectual, personal, and global interest; and it strengthens a community that they will continue to influence and rely upon in perpetuity. I love it precisely for its strength of attentiveness 鈥� a weekend filled to capacity with such extraordinary individuals, challenging conversations, and genuine connectedness demands we lay distractions aside and keep our eyes open. Wide open.

The 2016 Bradley Seminar commenced in Pasadena, California from March 18 鈥� 20, hosting over 180 participants from across the country. The weekend events kicked off on Friday afternoon, welcoming the Class of 2014 Scholars to The Barder House, a space rife with symbolism for the CDB community. Dedicated and named after the Scholarship鈥檚 generous benefactor, Sarah D. Barder, it was donated to the Institute for Educational Advancement in 2011 by Ms. Barder to serve as the home base for 优蜜视频, as well as a meeting place and touchstone for the 优蜜视频 and the CDB community.

Following a welcome dinner and introductions, parents attended a session led by Dr. Jim Delisle, while Scholars and Alumni participated in ice-breakers and a hotel-wide scavenger hunt. Among the various tasks that teams were instructed to complete were items like, 鈥渇ind something at least 100 years older than anyone on your team鈥� and 鈥渞ecord a video of everyone on your team doing 20 jumping jacks in unison鈥�.

Each year, the Seminar is guided by a different overarching theme intended to serve as the focal point for thought and conversation throughout the weekend. The 2016 theme was Finding & Cultivating Your Voice, which pursued questions like: What am I passionate about and what matters? What does it mean to have a voice and how do I share these passions with a community, local or global, in meaningful ways?

KR Sridhar, Founder, President, and CEO of , explored this theme on Saturday morning through a keynote presentation on the relationship between voice, passion, and resilience. 听Betsy Jones, 优蜜视频 President, guided intergenerational conversations between students, parents, visiting educators, and guests to examine the Seminar theme in smaller intentional groups. 听These discussions channel incredible value for their ability to bring a diverse group of individuals together as equals to discuss issues of common interest. One Scholar noted, 鈥淭he table talks helped facilitate open and serious conversations鈥� The topics addressed were relevant to my life, especially the topics in the intentional conversations.鈥�

Saturday night featured workshops and panels led by CDB Alumni and parents, educators, clinical psychologists, and consultants covering a range of topics: American Misconceptions of Giftedness, Career Paths, College Counseling, Finding Your Voice Through Depression, Intensities and Sensitivities, and Mindfulness.

While the day was bookended with content-heavy sessions, Scholars and parents were able to relax through various outings on Saturday afternoon to the Griffith Observatory, Huntington Library & Gardens, and EscapeRoom LA.

As the Seminar concluded on Sunday morning and good-byes became imminent, I reflected on the wonder of the weekend. I recalled Kimmerer鈥檚 words on attention, gratitude, and reciprocity as I watched the generosity of the CDB community extend outward in the form of financial support and volunteerism to the 优蜜视频 community. 听This only confirmed my feeling that when we come together and pay attention 鈥� when we put down our phone, participate in our environment, engage in what it means to be present 鈥� something happens. As Thich Nhat Hanh writes, 鈥淭he most precious gift we can offer anyone is our attention.鈥� I can鈥檛 help but agree.

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It was snowing indoors at 优蜜视频鈥檚 tree-trimming party last Friday as parents, students and staff all worked together to create handcrafted ornaments and paper snowflakes to decorate the Barder House for the holidays. As families munched on cookies and sipped hot chocolate (generously donated by the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf), they reflected on favorite 优蜜视频 moments from the past year 鈥� like our Genius Day hosted at the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens and our Summer Soiree BBQ event. Students also spoke excitedly about plans for the New Year, including family trips and courses they had already applied to take in our upcoming Winter Session of Academy.

The event may even be the start of a new 优蜜视频 tradition! 鈥淭his was such a great opportunity to relax and unwind with the 优蜜视频 community after the end of the school term,鈥� remarked a parent. 鈥淎nd the crafts were a big hit. We鈥檇 love to do this again!鈥� Most popular among the crafts were created under the patient instruction of Tiffany Kwong, who showed kids and adults how to cut and tape squares of paper to make intricate, three-dimensional works of art. To make your own ornaments听at home, you can follow the paper snowflake tutorial below!

As the glowing warmth of the tree illuminated the smiling faces of everyone in attendance, there was an overwhelming sense of gratitude for our close-knit community of supporters and the amazing children that we have had the privilege to serve. As the 优蜜视频 staff looks forward to the holidays with our own families, we鈥檇 like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the many members of the 优蜜视频 family who have contributed their time, talent and money in service of our mission over the course of 2015. As we prepare for the New Year, your support is paramount to helping us plan for the future of 优蜜视频 and providing much needed services to the children in our programs.

If you would like to make a donation to support 优蜜视频 in time for the New Year, please visit our website鈥檚 donation page or call our office at 626-403-8900. To sign up for an Academy class, click here!

Happy holidays from all of us here at 优蜜视频 and best wishes for the coming year!