Summer Search CONNECT is here!
In September, we gave you a preview of our new digital portal for Summer Search students, alumni, staff, board members, and external partners. Last month, we officially kicked off CONNECT with a week of fun activities and contests to welcome our community to the platform.
Watch this video to learn more about CONNECT:
During our Launch Week, almost 400 new users joined, bringing the total registered users on Summer Search CONNECT to more than 800!
With all of those new people joining the portal, we needed some help with getting everyone oriented — from creating their account, to learning about our Community Agreements, connecting with Summer Searchers, and more. Luckily we had a handful of students and alumni who volunteered to be our go-to support team!
One of those CONNECT All Stars was Van Nguyen, a Summer Search Seattle alum.
“As the Customer Success Intern for this platform, my role was to provide support for the users in navigating features such as creating events, joining groups, editing their profile, and more,” he explained. “As Launch Week progressed, I also helped assess the activity level of CONNECT and look for ways we could improve the user’s experience.”
In addition to providing exceptional support and input, Van really enjoyed getting to connect and re-connect with our community during Launch Week.
“I was so happy to see all the new and familiar faces of Summer Search!” he said. “The idea of having our own virtual platform to connect with each other on a national level was always in the back of my mind as a post-secondary participant, so it was a blast to see it come together.”
Prior to helping Summer Search with CONNECT, Van was also one of the students and alumni who partnered with us during the early stages of our post-secondary redesign. He, and many others, provided valuable feedback on ways that Summer Search can better support our young people’s bold and diverse visions of success. One of those ways ended up being an interactive online community!
After an exciting start, Van shares our enthusiasm as we look ahead as to what CONNECT can be for Summer Searchers.
“My favorite part was seeing the diverse experiences that our users shared, from starting their own business to being a seasoned professional in their respective field. I’m excited to see how CONNECT will continue to improve and provide a more immersive experience for our unique community!”
To our post-secondary students and alumni, you should have received an invite to CONNECT in your email. If not, please reach out to portal@summersearch.org.
To our partners/supporters, if you or your company/organization would like to learn more about getting involved, please reach out to portal@summersearch.org.
Stay tuned for more updates on Summer Search CONNECT. Leave a comment to say THANK YOU to Van for his awesome work during Launch Week!