Building America's Future

"Brothers,
This past summer I stayed here on campus working as a mentor in the Crimson Summer Academy. This program essentially gives the brightest low-income high school students of the Boston/Cambridge area a chance to do something great with their lives that they would otherwise be unable to do because of their background and the many obstacles associated with it.

The CSA is packed with many benefits for these students that essentially put them on the same track to greatness that a student from "better" neighborhoods and/or schools would be on. The students come here on campus for a total of 8 weeks for academic enrichment, taking classes taught by instructors brought in especially for them and guided through their thick workload by us mentors (Harvard students). They're afforded SAT prep classes and assistance with college planning, visits, and applications. They even get a stipend because they would normally be working over the summer to support their families. Despite the fact that I've only listed a few of their perks, the best part about the program is that it costs the students nothing once they're accepted into it.

Personally, I was excited when I heard about this program and learned much about it last summer while I was here taking Orgo. Once I finally got the job and arrived on campus, I went to work and began meeting the Scholars. I soon realized that they were truly happy to be here on this campus and they all appreciated the fact that Harvard students took their time to be with them over the summer. I also learned that many of these Scholars lead truly hard lives, some of them living far below the poverty line, some being the sole father figure for younger siblings, while others are the solitary money-earners for their household. Being around the Scholars was a truly humbling experience because you realize that, for the most part, as you may feel that you've led a tough life, there are those who have it much worse than you do yet continue to push froward to get out and away from the poor situation they've been brought up in. At the end of it all, all I could do was sit down and think about just how insignificant many of my complaints with life are in comparison with these brilliant young minds.

On a special note: we go to school with at least 5 graduates of this program. (There could be more of them that I'm not aware of)"

Rashaud Senior, '11