“Imagine a world where every single person gets to be their best selves. Would that not be the best world to live in?”
At Summer Search, we are all about changing narratives and helping young people find their voices so that they can — as Summer Search Seattle alumna Marie refers to above — become their best selves.
Watch Marie, Justin, Elebetel, Jahlil, and Cynthia share about their journeys toward success in our new Voices of Summer Search video:
https://vimeo.com/282883221
As you might be able to tell by the fancy and fresh attire sported by our Summer Searchers, this video features some of our most memorable student and alumni speeches from this year’s Signature Event Season. Oh by the way, it was also edited by Summer Search Bay Area alumnus Edgar Garcia!
Read on if you want to learn a little bit more about our speakers.
Justin, Summer Search New York City

“[Summer Search] helped me through a lot, you see. I opened up, found my voice, and became the true me.”
In a beautiful spoken word poem, Justin shared about his Summer Search journey, talking about how his relationship with his mentor Nancy and his summer experiences with NOLS and Summer@Brown helped him find his own voice. Justin is attending New York University in the fall, and is interested in studying Music Therapy and Neurobiology.
Elebetel, Summer Search Boston

“My Summer Search experience helped me transform from a girl with many fears and anxieties to a young woman confident in her abilities to overcome them.”
Elebetel just graduated from high school and is heading to Tufts University in the fall to study International Relations. She also just returned from a trip to Ethiopia, where she was born, with her family!
Jahlil, Summer Search Philadelphia

“With the guidance of my mentors and all of the support given to me through Summer Search, not only did I find my voice, I learned how to use it as well.”
Jahlil is a first-generation college graduate, who earned his Bachelor’s Degree from University of Pittsburgh at Bradford and is currently working on his Master’s Degree at the University of Pennsylvania. He is certainly using his voice to give back, working as a Middle school teacher through Teach For America, educating the next generation of young leaders.
Cynthia, Summer Search Bay Area

“Having mentors like Ben, Fernando, Curtis, SiMone, Colleen, and everyone else at Summer Search is what helped me find the confidence I need to speak my truth.”
Cynthia is currently a first-generation student at the University of California, Riverside majoring in Political Science with a focus in Public Service. She has also become a peer educator for the Sexual Assault and Violence Prevention Program on campus. In fact, last summer she worked as a summer fellow in the Bay Area office and led a program to train Summer Search mentors on how to better serve students who are survivors of sexual assault.
Marie, Summer Search Seattle

“Summer Search is about changing narratives so that each and every one of us can become our best selves.”
After receiving her Master’s Degree in Higher Education at the University of Michigan in 2016, Marie moved home to Seattle to start her new job at the University of Washington, Evans School of Public Policy and Governance where she is working as an Admissions and Student Inclusion Counselor.
If she ever decides to change careers, she definitely has a future as a host or presenter, based on the engaging “TED Talk” style presentation she delivered about Summer Search at the Seattle Leadership Luncheon.
Thank you to those who attended our signature events around the country this year. And thank you to everyone who helps Summer Search support our incredible young people as they work to change the face of leadership in our communities and create a world where everyone can succeed and become their best selves. #SummerSearchVoices