The end of the 2020 school year wasn’t one that any of us could have imagined. We were saddened that we were unable to meet in person in DC to congratulate and recognize the Class of 2020 Scholars.
These circumstances did, however, give the Presidential Scholars Foundation and Alumni Association the opportunity to join forces with the Presidential Scholars Program Scholar Advisors at the US Department of Education to launch a new initiative for the Class of 2020 Scholars, the New Alumni Advisor Program. As you might remember from your own National Recognition Program (NRP) week, advisors are alumni who lead the incoming Presidential Scholar class through a week of activities. A remote NRP, however, led to a momentous opportunity to strengthen our community. The New Alumni Advisor Program is led by Scholar alumni who keep in touch, alleviate concerns, and provide a support system for the 161 Scholars representing the Class of 2020. As school years and gap years roll through the end of 2020, the advisors will be there as a resource for the newly recognized Presidential Scholars.
Throughout the summer and early-fall, 2020 Scholars met with their advisors over Zoom in small groups and had an opportunity to learn, share, and build community. We hope the connections made in these small groups will be assets as the Scholars move into a school year of uncertainties.
The New Alumni Advisor Program also serves as a channel to learn about our Scholars' interests. We've had suggestions from the Class of 2020 for book clubs, art productions, and skills-based learning, and several of our advisors have stepped up to lead these initiatives. We look forward to using this opportunity to provide resources, leadership outlets, and new programming for our entire community of Presidential Scholars. PSF would like to extend a special thank you to volunteer Natasha Turkmani (2014, DC) for leading this initiative and to the many NRP Advisors that made this work possible.
Jackson Elder (2019, VT) is a sophomore at Dartmouth College majoring in Government, Philosophy, and Economics. He is currently taking the year off due to Covid and spent the last month working on an organic farm in Colorado. In his free time, Jackson plays ultimate, whitewater kayaks, and is (slowly) learning how to play guitar.
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