FROM CO-PRESIDENT JUDY WRIGHT
The transition from summer to school mode couldn’t have gone better this year. Our six GABC students moved into the house on Labor Day and began school the next day. We welcomed our newest scholars, Kyra and Tamojah, both 9th graders. Returning for their senior year are Janelle and Kilee and rounding out the six are Andrea and Jasmine in 11th grade. The older girls are so helpful with the new students that it’s as if they have four older sisters!
The summer was filled with some exciting programs for our girls. Janelle traveled to London and Kilee to Ghana. Jasmine attended an AI and Machine Learning program at Wellesley College and Andrea participated in an online medical program at Georgetown University.
Janelle and Kilee are busy working on their college applications and living the life of a high school senior – very busy and somewhat stressful. But they still find the time to participate in all the household activities with smiles on their faces. Andrea and Jasmine attended a college fair a few weeks ago and take the PSATs this month. They are fully immersed in their challenging junior year classes as well as many extracurricular activities. Our 9th graders, Kyra and Tamojah, have adjusted quickly and fit in with the group as if they’ve been here for longer than a month.
In August, we were fortunate to find our new cook, Tracey Asti. She brings so much positive energy to her position and is willing to try out new recipes that the girls will like. And the girls love her food! Tracy is a former employee of Hole in the Wall, so she was already familiar with our program.
On the afternoon of October 2, a cold and windy day, we gathered at Jacobs Beach for our annual welcome picnic. But it was so cold — as you can see from the photos — we moved it to the ABC house. It was a wonderful afternoon with families, volunteers, and the students. Thanks to Lynn for making the house available for everyone to use.
This academic year, the Guilford ABC Education Fund is helping five alumnae attend school: Sumaiyah Lee at Loyola Marymount University; T-Jauni Barham at Trinity College; Julia Antwi-Boasiaku at New York University; Lauren Cyrus at Hampton University; Arianna Alvarez Pena at Tufts University. We are so proud of these students and what they are accomplishing in their lives.
We are very appreciative of our many GABC and Hole in the Wall volunteers and staff, our donors and sponsors and all community members and Guilford High School personnel that support our mission. It takes a village, and we are stronger for it.