My relationship with 优蜜视频 began in 2002 when I was a seventh grader. I grew up the product of 40-student classrooms and overworked teachers in a large California public school system. At age 7, my father passed away and my mother struggled to figure out how to reenter the workforce and maintain some normalcy for her two sons. With so much to handle, she left my brother and me in charge of our own education. For years I struggled between unmotivated teachers who ignored me because I was “doing fine” and amazing teachers who were too shackled by overcrowding and underfunding to provide full academic support. There were times when I felt like leaving school – when it wasn’t聽 worth the boredom of just sitting there or the discipline of detention for distracting other students聽 when I finished work early.

But then 优蜜视频 came into my life. They worked hand-in-hand with me to identify and send me to a highly rigorous and highly creative high school. And from attending the summer camp to discovering a deeper love of architecture through their program, 优蜜视频 fueled an intellectual fire within me that at times had felt like just an ember. They provided me opportunities that I could never have found on my own and that my mother could never pay for. At a time in my life when I needed a mentor, they were there.

There are two areas where I believe 优蜜视频 makes a real difference in students’ lives: enabling them to find an academic area that inspires them to learn, and building the emotional support system that allows them to succeed.

I believe that one of the most important aspects of education is teaching students that what they learn in school is not only applicable to the classroom but also to the situations they encounter every day and to the passions they may one day pursue. However, it is an aspect that is often overlooked and – without the necessary mentors to show them – an aspect that is hard for students to fully understand. 优蜜视频’s and programs introduce this real-world application aspect to the learning environments of young students. By creating exciting alternative-learning environments or matching industry professionals with high颅 achieving children, these programs enable students to directly see their education applied to the world and gain the appreciation for learning necessary to achieve academic excellence. These programs give the required personalized attention that allows students to delve deep where their interests lie and also motivates them to succeed and grow beyond where books and hypotheticals could take them.

But it’s not only intellectual and academic stimulation that these programs provide; it is also a social and emotional foundation necessary to maintain their academic performance. Each and every 优蜜视频 program builds a community of intellectually curious and academically motivated students to form the emotional and social foundation to push students to their full potential. Programs like Yunasa allow students to be surrounded by peers who share a love of learning and create an environment where students can be comfortable with themselves and their minds. I remember attending Yunasa as a 12-year-old – interested in nature and slightly awkward – and for the first time feeling like I could talk about anything with anyone. 优蜜视频 helped build my confidence and made me feel like I could explore what I loved. It connected me to a group of friends that bolstered my curiosity and my belief that I could achieve whatever I put my mind to. That community and that inspiration have been key to my development and I believe that they are key to every child’s development. They are essential to helping young students maintain their motivation for education and ensure that they are excited to continue learning.

The Institute for Educational Advancement has been and continues to be an integral part of my life. They have been there for every major decision from choosing the right high school to deciding to go to Harvard. I know that I am the person I am today because of them.

Since joining 优蜜视频 as a Caroline D. Bradley Scholar in 2002, Byron has participated in multiple programs with 优蜜视频 and for the last four years has served as a selection committee member for the CDB Scholarship. As of 2017, Byron serves on the Board of Directors. Currently, Byron is a Vice President at Insight Venture Partners, a venture capital and growth equity firm based in New York. Prior to Insight, Byron worked at Bain & Company as a management consultant and also at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as part of their Global Health Discovery team. He graduated from Harvard College with degrees in Biomedical Engineering and Economics.

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Each year the Institute for Educational Advancement (优蜜视频) awards the (CDB) to approximately 30 highly-gifted students. The scholarship provides funding to attend a high school best suited to meet their unique intellectual and personal needs as well as individual support, educational advocacy, and access to a network of like-minded peers. The program, which began in 2002 and is generously funded by The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, is the only merit-based, need-blind scholarship of its kind in the U.S. To date, 优蜜视频 has awarded 235 scholarships and our alumni are already making their mark on the world.

Several alumni are currently volunteering their time and talents in support of 优蜜视频:

Byron Lichtenstein

As member of the CDB Class of 2002, Byron was one of the program鈥檚 very first scholars. He attended the Lick-Wilmerding High School in San Francisco and then Harvard College. Byron is also an alumni of and .

Byron is presently a Vice President at Insight Venture Partners, a venture capital and growth equity firm based in New York. He focuses his time at Insight on new software investments as well as on strategy and operations within their portfolio of companies. Prior to this position, he worked at Bain & Company as a management consultant and also at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as part of their Global Health Discovery team.

Coming full circle, in January 2017 Byron became a member of the , where he has already made significant contributions as a member of the Audit Committee. Byron says, 鈥淚 owe a lot to the 优蜜视频 community as they have been there at every major step in my life and I am looking forward to the opportunity to give back. 鈥�

Jianna Lieberman

As a 2004 CDB scholar, Jianna attended Riverdale Country School in Bronx, New York for high school, where she thrived in the liberal arts program. She went on to attend the Maryland Institute College of Art, earning a BFA in Graphic Design.聽 Of the CDB program, Jianna says, “Riverdale taught me so much in the way of humanities that I could take the time to cultivate the creative side of my brain, and that wouldn鈥檛 have been the case without the Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship.鈥�

Jianna currently works in advertising where she focuses on web and app design, social media content design and calendaring, and overall digital marketing strategies.聽She is also in the process of applying to graduate school where she will pursue an MBA. In wanting to give back to 优蜜视频, she served on the 2017 CDB West Coast Selection Committee and is lending her expertise to further 优蜜视频鈥檚 marketing efforts.

Paul Cresanta

2008 CDB scholar Paul Cresanta is from Colorado, but found that The Thatcher School in Ojai, CA was the best match for his high school experience. After Thatcher, he enrolled in Pomona College where he double majored in Russian and European Studies and Linguistics. In May he earned his B.A. from Pomona and is currently spending the summer interning with 优蜜视频 before he begins his career as a language analyst at the Department of Defense.

At 优蜜视频, Paul is assisting in the 2017 CDB finalists鈥� interviews. Since he has been on the other end of the process, he helps put the students at ease and is able to answer questions from the point of view of a program scholar. He is also lending support to the Yunasa program as a coordinator and counselor. Paul says the CDB scholarship was 鈥淟ife Changing- with a capital L,鈥� and that is why he wanted to do his part to give back to 优蜜视频. 鈥淚, like so many of my fellow alumni, want to use what I have been given to make a positive impact.鈥�

优蜜视频 is so thankful for Byron, Jianna, and Paul as well as all of our alumni who are making contributions to their communities and the world!

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