I am beyond excited to be running the 2013 Boston Marathon for Summer Search. I’ve been working for the organization for over a year now and know first hand the power behind the program.

Summer Search is a holistic approach to leadership and character development in low-income students. At Summer Search, we identify students in Boston Public Schools who are at the intersection of need and potential, students who want to break the cycle of poverty in their family and make a difference in their communities. We provide weekly mentoring, scholarships for two powerful summer experiential programs, college advising, and a lasting support network, all with the ultimate goal of making sure our students graduate from college.

The statistics are staggering; only 14% of ninth graders entering Boston Public Schools will graduate from college. Summer Search students strive to be different and to beat the odds stacked against them – 100% of Boston Summer Searchers graduate from high school and 85% graduate college or are on track to do so.

Being a mentor at Summer Search and managing a caseload of 32 students has been one of the most challenging, humbling, rewarding and inspiring things I’ve ever taken on. I am blown away by the courage and tenacity of my students.

I’m so excited to be taking on a big challenge and push myself outside of my comfort zone like I see my students do each summer. They inspire me daily with the resilience they demonstrate in their challenging lives, and I’m hoping to inspire them on Marathon Monday! I’ve completed one marathon before – the Maine Marathon in October 2010. It was one of the best days of my life, but I swore to never do it again… until I started working at Summer Search.

Thank you for supporting me in this endeavor both financially and motivationally! Every dollar that is donated towards my fundraising effort will go directly to helping some truly amazing students realize their potential and give back to others. THANK YOU!