worse than standing in the

voting booth asking yourself,

“Who the heck is that per-

son?” Here is a great Mary-

land election guide, for DC

election guides click here or

visit here , and visit this web-

site for a Virginia election

guide. If you are registered

in a state other than the

ones listed, simply enter

your state’s name and

“2012 election guide” in

a search engine to find

potential resources to

help you make an in-

formed decision.

**Don’t forget to read

up on any “measures”

regarding issues in your

region like schools, dis-

trict ordinances, etc.** Get involved!

Create a Facebook,

Evite, or Google calen-

dar event and invite

friends to vote. Holding

each other accountable

can gently encourage

one another to exercise

our right to vote.

Hold an election party!

Make plans to meet up at

someone’s house after cast-

ing your vote and watch the

updates of the election re-

sults while enjoying dinner.

Hold a potluck, collect funds

to order pizza, or cook to-

gether, and enjoy being an

American on Election Day.

Yes! In fact, for 18-29 year

olds, voting is increasing in

popularity. Consider this: in

2000, about 15.8 million

voters in this age range

voted whereas a whopping

20.1 million voters in that

same group casted their

votes just 4 years later!

What’s more is that the

Census reports that in

2008, there were 44

million 18-29 year old

Americans eligible to

vote, “more than one-

fifth of the voting eligible

population”. What does this all

mean?

It means your vote is

making a major impact in

politics. In other words,

the politicians recognize

the growing size of your

age group and thus are

listening to concerns

relevant to your lives.

Politicians are listening to

your concerns about

increasing college tuition

costs, health care, the war in

the Middle East, jobs, and

more. Know the old saying,

“There is power in num-

bers”? Well, those running

for office are very aware of

this truth and they are all

ears when it comes to issues

affecting 18-29 year olds so

be loud, very loud! Register to vote.

In order to get your opin-

ions heard, you must register

to vote. Click here to visit

the Rock the Vote website

and click on your respective

state to acquire election

information specific to your

state/district, learn what to

take with you to the polls

once you are already regis-

tered, learn where to go,

sign-up for election remind-

ers, learn how to volunteer

for the upcoming elections,

and most importantly, learn

how to register. Become informed.

Research ahead of Elec-

tion Day to be an informed

voter. There is nothing

DOES YOUR VOTE REALL Y COUNT?

Inside this issue:

Presidential Candidates

Chart

2

Regional Updates 3-4

Local Meet & Greet 5

Alumni Spotlight 5

Special Points of Interest:

Rock the Vote!

Obama vs. Romney on Relevant Issues

Regional Updates

Local Meet and Greets

THE ALUMNI

CONNECTION

OCTOBER 2012

VOLUME 6, I SSUE 5

The Urban Al l iance

Volunteer at an upcom-

ing Rock the Vote event or

learn how to host your own

by visiting this website. You

may just acquire more skills

to note on your résumé! Don’t forget to vote!

Beat the lines and vote

now! Virginia, DC, and

Maryland are already allow-

ing registered citizens to

participate in the general

election prior to Election

Day. Some states allow

early voting in-person and/or

by mail. Visit the Rock the

Vote website here to learn

how you can vote early and

when the General Election

Early Voting Period ends. If

you can’t vote early

for whatever reason, don’t

forget that the voting polls

close at a certain time and

that you must vote at your

designated polling station.

Visit this website to learn

more!

KNOW WHERE THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES STAND ON ISSUES THAT AFFECT YOU

Sources: The Economist Obama’s plan to reduce college tuition; “Where They Stand”; Mitt Romney’s education plan; Obama and

Biden homeland security agenda; Find the Data; Comparison Chart; Young Voters: A Political Powerhouse

Barack Obama (Democrat)

Mitt Romney (Republican)

Jobs & the Economy Focus on key areas in rural communities to help businesses access capital and expand rural job search and training

Double exports to foster job creation

Repeal Bush tax cuts for households earning more than $250,000

Stimulus spending and tax cuts to grow the econ- omy (short term)

Cut spending and raise taxes on wealthy to reduce deficit (long term)

Make American businesses competitive in the global economy

Open markets abroad, on fair terms, for American goods and services

Make Bush tax cuts permanent

Lower corporate tax rate across the board to 25%

Cut taxes and regulations to encourage business

Cut "non-security discretionary [government] spending" by 5% to reduce deficit

Health Care Ban insurance company discrimination of patients with pre-existing condition

Lower health care costs and guarantee more choice

Calls for patient protections like allowing coverage for pre-existing conditions

Tax credits will subsidize premiums

People without work-based insurance will have access to new markets

Small business gets help for offering insurance and Medicaid will expand

Repeal Obama's healthcare plan

Initiate market-based reforms that empower states and individuals and reduce health care costs

Created similar legislation to Obama care in MA but believes it's not appropriate for all of USA and wants to repeal

Proposes encouraging individuals to purchase their own health insurance rather than via employers, and allowing insurance across state lines

Education/College Costs Plans to reduce costs of higher education by in- creasing amount of federal grant money available for low-interest loans

Invest in the Perkins loan program from $1 billion to $8 billion and update the formula for distributing money so that colleges are rewarded based on success-fully offering relatively lower tuition costs and serving low-income students

Provide $1 billion in aid to states that curb educa- tion costs

Believes that if market improves, parents should be able to save more money for their children’s higher education

Strengthen and simplify the financial aid system

Welcome private sector participation instead of pushing it away

Replace burdensome regulation with innovation and competition

Homeland Security

& Military Rebalance defense capabilities for the 21st century

Strengthen military partnerships and alliances

Defeat terrorism worldwide and prevent nuclear terrorism

Protect Americans from terrorist attacks and pro-tect critical infrastructure

Modernize America’s aging infrastructure

Modernize air and naval forces, weapons systems, and equipment including the nuclear arsenal

Grow the number of troops and ensure that funds go to their needs and care

Halt efforts to cut military budget

Would increase strength of armed forces, including number of troops and warships, adding almost $100 billion to the Pentagon budget in 2016.

In 2008, 18-29 year olds were surveyed regarding which issues meant the most to them. Here is a chart listing where each presi-

dential candidate stands on the issues this age group selected.

Remember the good ol’ days

when you participated in UA’s

Pre Work? Currently the

Baltimore Program is in that

stage and recently held a

Mock Interview Day. When

asked why the Mock Inter-

view Workshop is imperative

to the program, Baltimore

P r o g r a m M a n a g e r

Stephanie Amponsah re-

sponded, “The Mock Inter-

view workshop focuses on

preparing interns for an actual

employment interview, while

polishing their skills and

teaching them what to expect

in a real interview. Each In-

tern is interviewed by a volun-

teer for about 10 to 15 min-

utes and receives feedback

about their performance.”

Community volunteers and

mentors assisted the Balti-

more Program Team in the

event.

Additionally, the Baltimore

Program Team is currently

preparing for their upcoming

Fall Kick-off to be held on

October 19th, from 8:30 a.m.

until 10:30 a.m. at the Urban

Alliance Offices located at

Union Mill, 1500 Union Ave-

nue, Baltimore, MD 21211.

As you might recall, Fall Kick-

off allows Mentors, Interns,

Alumni, community members,

and UA Staff to meet and

network. Also, this is an op-

portunity for community

members to learn more about

UA’s mission while providing

a venue to train mentors at

the event as well.

UA Alum Brian Coles ‘11

is slated to speak during Fall

Kick-off about his experience

with Urban Alliance. Ampon-

sah added, “We would like to

have Alumni join us and meet

the new Interns and catch up

with their Mentors.” Those

BALTIMORE REGION UPDATE

CHICAGO REGION UPDATE

Page 3

THE ALUMNI CONNECTIO N

This fall, UA is launching its

first year of serving 70 Interns

in the city of Chicago, IL.

With the support of UA’s

Board Co-Chairs and the

Chicago Public Schools, the

Chicago Team is settling in

nicely to their new roles and

finally moved into their new

office space. Chicago Pro-

gram Director Jamie

Brisco-Ricks recent ly

shared, “Our most challenging

thing was moving into our

new office. The entire set-up

process was time consuming,

but we are currently all set-

UA Alumni volunteer at the

Chicago Fall Kick-Off celebra-

tion should you be in the Chi-

cago area. Contact Chicago’s

Program Associate Montris-

cha Williams at 312-496-3300

or via email at mwil-

liams@theurbanalliance.org

by Monday, October 15th.

Kick-off to be held Thursday,

October 18th from 4:00 p.m.

until 6:00 at Skadden, Arps,

Slate, Meagher, and Flom LLP.

Similar to the Baltimore and

DC event, parents, mentors,

and board members are ex-

pected to attend. The Chi-

cago Team and Interns cannot

wait to celebrate the official

start of the inaugural UA High

School Program in the Windy

City.

The Chicago Team would

very much like to have any

Volunteers Nicole Bowens, Deb Silcox, and Laura Gethers conduct mock interviews with Baltimore Interns

interested in joining at the

upcoming Baltimore Fall Kick-

off should contact Stephanie

Amponsah at sampon-

sah@theurbanalliance.org or

at 443-527-5759 by October

12, 2012. Visit the following

link for more details: Balti-

more Fall Kick-Off Event.

tled in.” Now the Chicago

Team can primarily focus on

their first Pre-Work experi-

ence. They just completed

their third week of Pre-Work

training with a great group of

seniors. Many are eager to

get accepted into the program

with hopes of being placed

with the Chicago Bulls, one of

many coveted jobsites. Interns

are anticipating starting work

on Monday, October 22nd.

Next on the agenda for the

Chicago Team is their Fall

Baltimore, MD

Chicago, IL

the DC Program is excited to

see return is the Office of

Personne l Management

(OPM), a federal government

jobsite. So far, the team has

about 99% of the needed In-

terns who will be placed at

OPM; they will learn attention

to detail, basic administrative

skill, and depending on the

department, be given more

responsibility should Interns

be ready.

DC Program also welcomes

New Signature, a local tech-

nology company. Recently,

New Signature has been as-

The DC Team is a week away

from wrapping up Pre-Work

with interviews set to begin

next week. After learning that

the DC Program will be able

to take on more participants,

they have reached out to ad-

ditional applicants who will be

partaking in an “Accelerated

Pre-Work” in order to en-

sure that these students are

adequately prepared for the

next stages in the application

process. The goal is to get all

Interns (about 140-150) to

start work on Monday, No-

vember 5th.

One particular workplace that

sisting UA with Pre-Work by

talking to the participants

about practicing appropriate

behavior on the Internet and

the basics of Microsoft Office

Suite. This year is the first

year they will serve UA as a

jobsite.

On Friday, September 21st,

DC Mentor Steve McMa-

hon’s company McMahon

Solutions partnered with Best

Buy to host the Best Buy

Teen Tech Summit for DC

applicants. 70 DC Intern

hopefuls attended the event

that involved 25 Best Buy

D.C . REGION UPDATE

Page 4

VOLUME 6, ISSUE 5

MEET OUR CHICAGO APP LICANTS

Chicago Applicants take a break during Pre-Work to smile for the camera

Corporate and Geek Squad

employees to address the

topic of navigating technology.

Chipotle generously catered a

networking dinner that al-

lowed DC applicants to min-

gle with the Best Buy volun-

teers and UA Staff.

(continue on page 5)

Clockwise: Best Buy Volunteers address DC Interns; DC Mentor and long-time UA Supporter Steve McMahon and DC Pro-gram Director Nathaniel Cole ‘05 oversee the participation; and a Best Buy Volunteer holds a small group discussion with DC Interns during their breakout session por-tion of the Teen Tech Summit

Above: DC Interns take a break with DC Program Director Nathaniel Cole ‘05; Below: DC Interns volunteer at the Capital Area Food Bank

Washington, DC

As if DC applicants are not

busy enough with Pre-Work,

and attending summits, 8 vol-

unteered with Wells Fargo on

Saturday, September 22nd at

the Capital Area Food Bank.

They stocked and sorted food

items in preparation to share

with those in need alongside

UA Board Member, Anna

Powell.

Currently, the DC Team is

actively planning their Fall

Kick-off scheduled on Thurs-

day, November 1st. Alumni

may attend to show support

for the 2012-2013 DC Interns

by sharing words of wisdom.

Please contact Director of

Alumni Services Jazmyn Sin-

gleton at 202-459-4312 or via

e m a i l a t j s i n g l e -

ton@theurbanalliance.org no

later than Thursday, October

25th for more details on at-

tending the event.

ALUMNI SPOTL IGHT: SAMANTHA PALMER ‘07

Urban Alliance Foundation, Inc. is a 501 (c) (3) organization and our mission is to empower

under-resourced youth to aspire, work, and succeed through paid internships, formal training,

and mentoring. Founded in 1996 by a small group of business leaders to create employment

and educational opportunities for economically disadvantaged youth, we serve youth throughout

the District of Columbia and since fall 2008, Baltimore City. Through three distinct programs,

the High School Internship Program, Alumni Services, and Curriculum Outreach, we provide

resources to our youth to successfully transition from high school to college or career training,

and ultimately to the working world. To learn more about Urban Alliance, visit

www.theurbanalliance.org.

THE URBAN ALLIANCE

FOUNDATION

Employing Youth. Inspiring Excellence.

**Address change as of October 22nd**

Urban Alliance Headquarters

2030 Q St. NW

Washington, DC 20009

Phone: 202-459-4300

Fax: 202-459-4301

E-mail: alumni@theurbanalliance.org

DC Alumni: Join us for a night of free pizza, great company and conversation,

plus a chance to win an iPod Shuffle! We would love for you to reconnect with

UA Staff and fellow Alumni so here’s your chance. Sign-up here today to re-

serve your spot at the October 16th event at Vapiano located at 623 H St. NW,

Washington, DC from 5:30-7:30 p.m. See you there!

Baltimore Alumni: Details for your Local Alumni Meet & Greet are being

finalized. Be sure to keep a lookout for an email inviting you to attend. Also,

updates will be posted on the UA Alumni Twitter account here and the UA

Alumni Facebook Group Page here (note that you must be logged onto your

Facebook account when clicking on this link).

LOCAL ALUMNI MEET & GREET

DC UPDATE (CONT. )

able to “see the potential in

every young person [she]

encounters” and as a result,

works with that young per-

son to meet his/her potential.

With every new job, comes

its challenges. After acquiring

her Bachelor of Arts in Eng-

lish Literature at Frostburg

State University, Samantha is

pursuing her Masters of Arts

in Teaching in Secondary

Education at Trinity Washing-

ton University. Samantha

explains, “Being a graduate

student in DC, I am aware

that students may see me

throughout the city after

work hours so the biggest

challenge is balancing my pro-

fessional and personal life

with the youth.” Still, she is

“loving every minute of it.”

Samantha is no stranger to

Alumni Services. In fact, she

volunteered in many ways, in-

cluding speaking to the youth.

She advises, “Any alumni who

are not using Alumni Services

are not fully utilizing their UA

experience. The graduation

from high school and UA is

just the beginning of a stu-

dent's life. It's using those

tools that UA gives you that

makes you a successful per-

son. ”

Welcome to the UA Staff

Samantha!

When you ask DC Program

Coordinator and Alumna

Samantha D. Palmer ‘07 if

she ever expected to work

on UA Staff, her response is,

“Not at all, but it was a pleas-

ant surprise!”

In August 2012, Samantha

joined the DC Program

Team. Her previous work

includes employment at The

Washington Post and St.

Coletta of Greater Washing-

ton Special-Needs School in

DC. She accepted UA’s job

offer because she has

“experienced UA’s support in

[her] own life,” adding that

she knew when she took this

position, she was “well

equipped as an Alumna and as

an educator to help DC High

School students transition

into their professional

selves.” While Samantha rec-

ognizes the importance of

first impressions, she is also

DC Program Coordinator Samantha D. Palmer ‘07 strikes a pose for the camera

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