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Brochure for the (MS)2 program at Phillips Academy
Citation preview
16
FACES
of
(MS)2
A Phillips Academy Outreach Program
2
= (MS)2(MS)2 was founded in 1977 to address the compelling need to cultivate the mathematical and scientific abilities of economically disadvantaged African American, Latino, and Native American high school students.
In a residential setting on the historic Phillips Academy campus in Andover, Massachusetts, the three-summer program challenges students intellectually and exposes them to peers and educators with diverse backgrounds, life experiences, and aspirations.
MatheMatics + science for Minority students
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= (MS)2 A Proven Program with a Long History of Success
In 1986, a junior at Lawrence High School in Massachusetts, I was invited to participate in an urban studies program at Phillips Academy. Living and studying on the Andover campus for a semester transformed my life. My academic and professional sights were raised, and the trajectory for my life’s work was forever altered. I went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and two
advanced degrees in education, and decided to devote my career to education—as a math teacher and then as a high school principal.
Now, as director of (MS)², I have the good fortune of inviting economically disadvantaged young people from across the country to come to Andover for their own life-changing academic and personal experiences. Many of them will go on to become the first in their families to attend college, as I was. It is so gratiÃing to come full circle and hold the door wide open for the many talented young people who enter (MS)². Meet a few of them in the pages that follow.
Dianne D. CruzDirector, (MS)² 98% of (MS)2 alumni
go on to four-year colleges or universities.
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Christal Joy Forgenie, MD, credits (MS)2
with having a huge impact on her decision
to become a pediatrician. She’s also
quick to point to the lasting effects of its
lessons outside the classroom.
Raised in a culturally diverse community
in Brooklyn as part of a Trinidadian
family, Christal was still surprised by the
variety of linguistic, ethnic, and racial
backgrounds she encountered at Andover.
“It was a welcome, fun, and exciting
form of culture shock,” she says. After
finishing the program she came back as
a biology teaching assistant in 2000, and
as a teacher the following year.
“These experiences led me to understand
that (MS)2 wasn’t just there to help me,
but to help me help others,” she says.
“I finally saw myself as part of a huge,
diverse community that I wanted—and
had an obligation—to give back to.”
She’s still giving back, through her
thriving pediatric practice, where she
sees some 30 patients five-plus days a
week, and by routinely mentoring medical
students and residents.
Living a Dream to Help Others
(MS)2
In 2011, (MS)2 enrolled students from 17 states, 43 cities, and 12 Native American communities.
Christal Joy Forgenie, (MS)2 ’95Pediatrician Montefiore Medical CenterInducted into the Gold Humanism
Honor Society, which recognizes
medical students, residents,
and physician teachers for
“demonstrated excellence
in clinical care, leadership,
compassion and dedication to
service.”
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I don’t know of any program that is so devoted to underrepresented students of color.“ ”
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My best experiences were meeting people Ïom all over the country and meeting a lot of international students who became my good Ïiends. “ ”
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Shawn Pacheco says his largest challenge
at (MS)2 was the climate.
Shawn lives in New Mexico, where he’s
a student at the Santa Fe Indian School.
The humid New England summertime
weather took some adjusting, particularly
as his home region struggled through a
severe drought. But that one contrast
helped Shawn begin to understand that
there is “a whole new world outside the
reservation.”
Taking part in the program has helped
him become more focused in school;
he says his parents and teachers have
observed “that now I don’t give up right
away, and I finish everything I start. I have
learned to be organized, to be responsible
for my own work, and I have learned time
management through (MS)2.”
Shawn sees the change in himself, too:
“My hopes are building every second in
my academics,” he says with pride.
He has set his sights on a math and
engineering course in college and is
working confidently toward his goals.
Encountering a Whole New World
”
Shawn A. Pacheco, (MS)2 ’13Student Santa Fe Indian SchoolHe enjoyed the chemistry labs
that were part of (MS)2, but
found it was his English class
that stretched him most in new
directions.
(MS)2
58% of (MS)2 graduates attend the top 50 U.S. colleges.
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Venus Velez-Vann was raised in Manhattan,
but arriving at Andover showed her just how
insular her life and schooling had been.
“I loved being around kids who looked like
me and had similar backgrounds,” she says
of coming to (MS)2, “kids who were smart,
and shared many of the same goals.”
Like other attendees, Venus eagerly
embraced the challenge of the rigorous math
and science courses, but she also discovered
a new interest—politics and social justice
issues. Her time at (MS)2 also raised her
awareness of educational disparities related
to income, something that drives her on
school reform and family engagement.
Most significant—Venus realized that
she liked learning for learning’s sake. “It
changed my mindset from what I could do
to what I will do,” she says.
And Venus has done a lot: she helped
implement a program similar to (MS)2 in
Harlem high schools; its students have a
95% rate of graduation and placement
in 4-year colleges. She also worked to
end discriminatory practices in one NYC
district’s school admissions process.
Empowering an Education Reformer
(MS)2
Each summer, every student engages in 120 hours of intense math and science instruction.
Venus A. Velez-Vann, (MS)2 ’86Education ConsultantWorked with the NYC Department
of Education to open four new
high schools in a community that
desperately needed them
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(MS)² is so thoughtfully and skillfully designed—pooling together resources in a way that most programs are unable to do. “ ”
10
Being Ïom New York CiÙ, I Ïequently encountered people Ïom countries with di◊erent cultures, but Andover presented the opportuniÙ to learn Ïom them.“ ”
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Arnold Principal was raised by his mother,
a Haitian immigrant, who worked two
jobs and pushed her children to excel
academically. Arnold was accepted to
the A Better Chance program at New
Canaan (Conn.) High School as a boarding
student after his first summer at (MS)2.
He says the extra academic focus during
his time at (MS)2 prepared him for the
year ahead, and his math, science, and
writing skills all improved. His mother
and teachers also noted changes in his
character—in his levels of self-confidence,
personal responsibility, and focus.
Arnold embraced the independent school
life: “I wore my ‘preppie’ status as a
badge of honor,” he says, “but I made
it clear to my friends at home that I was
not smarter or better—I’d just taken
advantage of an opportunity given to me.”
After graduating from Holy Cross, Arnold
spent time at Lehman Brothers and Bank of
Tokyo Mitsubishi before founding his own
firm, SYPCAP, which manages more than
$70 million in assets for high–net-worth
individuals and nonprofit organizations.
Learning to Excel in Academics and in Life
”
Arnold Principal, (MS)2 ’86Founder and CEO SYP Capital ManagementAt Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi,
he was part of a team that
managed more than $1.2 billion
in assets.
(MS)2 is a highly selective program— 8% of the applicants each year are accepted.
(MS)2
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At times, Jerisson De La Cruz wasn’t
convinced he’d be able to finish (MS)2
successfully, or whether it was even
worthwhile. Eventually, (MS)2 taught him
how the lessons he was learning were
applicable to his life.
“I was able to see myself as a student
of the world,” he says. “(MS)2 helps to
break through the limitations urban kids
have set for themselves and to move
forward in their lives and aspirations with
determination.”
During the program, Jerisson worked on
his college essay—comparing himself to
the iconic video game character Sonic the
Hedgehog.
“It was deconstructed, analyzed, and
reconstructed more times than I can
count,” he says, “but I could see my
whole development as a person over the
past three years in that paper.”
Jerisson is now pursuing a degree in game
design and development at the Rochester
Institute of Technology on scholarship.
Engineering a Promising Career
(MS)2
The dropout rate for students enrolled in (MS)2 is less than 1%.
Jerisson J. De La Cruz, (MS)2 ’11Student Rochester Institute of TechnologyAttended the Lawrence (Mass.)
Math, Science and Technology
Academy; plans to be a
professional game developer. He’s
also published poetry and written
in defense of his hometown in
online forums.
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÷ere were academic limitations for me, coming Ïom an urban public school. (MS)² gave me the opportuniÙ to go above and beyond those limitations. “ ”
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Be Part of this Extraordinary Program…Gifts from individuals, foundations, and corporations are essential to the
program’s day-to-day operations and the long-term financial health of (MS)2.
The annual budget of $700,000 covers the full cost of the participation of
approximately 110 scholars each summer—including round-trip travel
from their home states, room and board, and tuition for three summers—plus
the salaries and expenses of the director, faculty, and staff.
Building the (MS)2 endowment will ensure future generations of talented and
deserving young students access to this proven program.
A gift of $6,000 supports one scholar each summer.
A gift of $125,000 to the endowment supports one named student scholarship in perpetuity.
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(MS)2
Established in 2011, the (MS)2 Advisory Council provides strategic guidance to assure that the program stays consistent with its mission, and that it has adequate staffing and financial resources. In its first year, the council focused on strengthening alumni engagement.
Members
Advisory Council
Nicholas Vantzelfde ’97, ChairBoston, Massachusetts
Roy Adams, (MS)2 ’95New York, New York
Lawrence H. CurtisBoxford, Massachusetts
Joseph Goodman ’54Los Altos, California
Molly Keller ’89Burlington, Wisconsin
William M. Lewis Jr. ’74New York, New York
Louise MacMillanAndover, Massachusetts
David J. McGrath IIIAndover, Massachusetts
Donna Sanabria, (MS)2 ’87White Plains, New York
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180 Main StreetAndover MA 01810-4161
978-749-4402www.andover.edu/ms2
(MS)2