ABC board members past and present, ABC host families, Andover High School guidance counselors, and long-time friends of ABC gathered Wednesday at the Log Cabin at Phillips Academy on a steamy spring evening to honor the ABC scholars. An impressive group of motivated and intelligent young women lit up the log cabin with their gratitude and reflections, laughter and tears, as ABC celebrated three graduating seniors.
President Susan Connolly presented the Samuel S. Rogers Prize for volunteerism to Jenni Nguyen for the tireless example she sets sharing her time for social justice. Jenni has earned this award through her community service with the Dorchester Organizing and Training Initiative, a program of the Asian American Resource Workshop. This is a leadership development initiative for Vietnamese young adults to mobilize the Vietnamese community in Dorchester to become more civically and politically engaged in issues affecting their everyday lives. Their first endeavor was voter registration, visiting door-to-door through the community. The group also participated in planning the strategic direction of the program, attending social justice community events.
Together the scholars created a colorful bouquet as each thanked the myriad of volunteers who have supported them on their journey over the year – from keeping the hot water on at the house, to driving to activities, to tutoring with their academics. Appreciation was shared by the underclassmen as they presented a work of art to our honoree seniors: a painting representing the two seniors that will hang in the ABC house as a wonderful memory of the difference they made while they lived in the house. Seniors shared their own stories of life with their housemates and dorm hijinks.
The ABC host families shared stories of getting to know each of their host daughters, and how their relationship deepened over the years, over dinners and family events, hiking and beach outings, and cozy evenings at home.
The tradition of each senior reflecting on their time in Andover is always the highlight of the evening, and this year was no exception as the seniors expressed deep appreciation and gratitude for the myriad people who have helped them along the way along with an important intellectual understanding of the larger story behind their participation in ABC, and the program’s role in the larger purpose to address educational inequality. Each senior hung up a pennant for the college she plans to attend in the fall: Boston University for both Nilda Vega and Déanna Clarke-Campbell and American University for A'mari Bing-Way.
With deep admiration for the personal courage, fortitude, natural abilities and intelligence that these three seniors brought to this program, we applaud Nilda, Déanna, and A'mari as they reach the finish line. We are confident that they will harness their determination, passion and talent to make the world a better place.
>> View pictures at ABC of Andover Scholars' Celebration Dinner 2017 Photos. Many thanks to guests for their candid photos and Cristen Farrell Photography for her professional photographs.
Class of 2017 A'mari Bing-Way, Déanna Clarke-Campbell, and Nilda Vega
Jenni Nguyen ’18, Skye Padovani ’19, A'mari Bing-Way '17, Elise Cabrera ’18, Leannette Garcia ’20, Déanna Clarke-Campbell '17, Nilda Vega '17, Olamide Olayinka ’19, Mafoudia Keita ’20