The subtitle for this year鈥檚 seminar theme easily could have been something akin to: 鈥淗ow to Talk About Rejection and Failure in a Room Full of People.鈥� Talk about vulnerability鈥� Rejection can be hard enough to acknowledge on our own, let alone in a social context where comparisons and self-appraisals inevitably creep in, despite our best efforts. It鈥檚 a loaded topic by virtue of its innate capacity to conjure some of our deepest feelings of self-doubt, confusion, shame and disappointment. But it鈥檚 also that power that makes it a word worth talking about, especially in communities where the myths of perfection often linger amidst high personal, academic and social expectations, both real and perceived.

From March 15 鈥� 17, the Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship community gathered at the DoubleTree in Downtown Los Angeles for the 16^th Annual Bradley Seminar. With over 270 guests, this was our largest event to date, representing over 30 states spanning from Maine to Colorado to Hawaii. Scholars, alumni, parents, staff and educators explored this year鈥檚 theme, Perspective 鈥� how it shapes our perception of ourselves and the world around us; how experiences of disappointment and rejection make it difficult to reframe our failures; and how resilience and mindfulness can offer strategies for navigating life with clearer perspective.

Our keynote speaker, Dr. Lauren Marlotte, Assistant Director of Training for the Division of Population Behavioral Health and Nathan Family Resilience Center at UCLA, shared her own perspective and research for developing healthy resilience, using tools like social connection, physical activity, and emotional regulation in times of toxic stress. Through cross-generational conversation, small group workshops and community activities, seminar guests continued to explore these questions throughout the weekend. CDB seniors initiated a project called the 鈥淩ejection Wall,鈥� an activity aimed at providing visibility on the topic of rejection, both academic and interpersonal, by inviting the community to share their own experiences and advice in writing. Scholars and parents alike were able to waive reservations and mutually contribute to these conversations, creating a spirit of solidarity and connection.

On Saturday afternoon, guests scattered around the local area for field trips and activities. CDB freshmen and parents ventured out from Little Tokyo to Pasadena via the Gold Line Metro (a personal favorite!) for an inaugural visit to the 优蜜视频 headquarters, The Barder House. Older scholars participated in various live-action puzzles at Escape Room LA. If you鈥檝e never done an escape room, I highly recommend this location 鈥� their themes and production value make the thrill of the countdown that much better. Parents, guests, and alumni visited nearby museums (Japanese American National Museum and Geffen Contemporary at MOCA) and explored the local charms of Little Tokyo, the Arts District and Downtown LA.

No CDB seminar would be complete without senior speeches. Always a highlight of the weekend, this year was particularly memorable as it marked the first graduating class since the program鈥檚 expansion in 2014. With 27 scholars, this is the largest senior class to date in CDB Scholarship program history. Coincidentally, 2014 was also my first year with the selection process 鈥� I still remember vivid details from various interviews that summer, my own nerves at times in competition with those of the interviewee. As this year also designated my last year with the CDB program, it was a fitting denouement to close out this final seminar weekend in tandem with the senior class of 2014. Their speeches spoke wisdom and humor in equal measure to their intelligence, passion, and ambition. Most, if not all, thanked Bonnie for her years of guidance and emails, trademarked by bold typeface and exclamation points en masse 鈥� a CDB tradition. The spirit of gratitude and authenticity was overwhelming. Not only from the graduating class, but the entire Caroline D. Bradley community. Reflecting on this year鈥檚 event, one scholar wrote: 鈥淚 feel like CDB has been a part of my life for much longer because of the deep friendships I’ve forged within the organization and the way I’ve been able to grow as a person due to this broader supportive community.鈥�

My hope is that, like this Scholar, every individual who participated in this year鈥檚 event feels that sense of community and connection. I know it is a feeling that will stick with me in continuity.

_ _ _ _

If you aren鈥檛 familiar with the Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship, you can read more about this life-changing opportunity on our . 听Since 2002, the program has identified over 250 highly motivated, gifted students across the country, providing merit-based tuition to the high school program that best meets each student鈥檚 personal and academic needs 鈥� private, public, charter, boarding, early college, online and homeschool hybrid. The seminar provides a meeting place annually for these students and focuses on personal growth through themes and topics which encourage conversation, connection, and authenticity.

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.