The Summer Session has begun and is, in many ways, back to normal. Field trips have been a crucial missing piece in our program over the last two years, but now our busses are rolling out each week to visit inspiring places and people.

Reach for Excellence’s alumni network has grown and strengthened these past few years. Reach Alumni in the workforce are giving back and inviting current students to connect with their colleagues and organizations. In the first three weeks of our Summer Session, alumni have connected us with new partners in Atlanta.

Reach alum and Board of Directors member Jordan Snellings ’07E helped facilitate a visit to Mt. Pisgah Christian School in Johns Creek. Reach students visited last week to tour the campus and learn more about MPCS as an option for high school. Mr. Snellings is the Assistant Director of Athletics at Mt. Pisgah Christian School.

Modi Longa ’16N is a student at UGA studying computer science. He’s currently interning at Salesloft, a leading software company providing sales engagement solutions. On Reach for Excellence’s first Frisbee Friday, Modi brought a team of his fellow Salesloft interns to play Ultimate Frisbee with the Reach students. The group spent about an hour playing with the kids, and Reach students met a group of young people on the verge of successful careers.

Rising 9th graders in Reach for Excellence had the unique opportunity to visit the offices of Cushman & Wakefield and an international corporate real estate firm. Reach alum Chanel Tobias ’10H and the Association of African American Real Estate Professionals of Atlanta hosted students on an extensive tour of C&W’s offices on the 31st floor in Midtown. In addition to the spectacular views, students learned about corporate real estate and what it takes to enter the profession. Many members of Cushman & Wakefield’s staff, alongside members of AAREP shared their career journeys and took time to encourage the students in pursuit of their education.

These visits are vital to the Reach for Excellence program. They create awareness of what we do and broaden our network in the Atlanta community. They introduce students to career paths they did not know existed. They create opportunities for students to envision a future for themselves and to have those dreams validated by successful adults. When our alumni give back by forging these connections, our students learn the path of young professionals who share similar life experiences.

We are so grateful for the generosity of our alumni and these wonderful organizations that take the time to invest in Reach for Excellence’s students.