Peer Leaders at our first workshop of Summer 2011 at UC Berkeley

Meet Hessie Mae Parham – Peer Leader of the Year 2011

Hessie Mae at the Peer Leader Academy in the Fall of her senior year

Hessie Mae Parham was born in Berkeley, CA and raised in Oakland, CA. She is a recent graduate of Oakland School for the Arts (OSA), where she majored in vocal music. In 2010, one of her closest friends and her grandfather passed away. She used their deaths as motivation to strive and reach her dreams. In June 2010 she was invited to attend a College Summit workshop at UC Berkeley. Along with 10 other of her classmates, she learned what it takes to gain admission to and succeed in college. Roommates, dorm life, early mornings, personal statements, meal cards, group meetings, games, financial aid awareness, hours of concentrating, personal development, college counseling, late nights, friendships, and the moving ceremonies at the end of the workshop are some of the memories she has of her first experience with this extraordinary program. After four-day summer workshop, Hessie Mae did not rest.  She went into her senior year motivated to help her senior classmates prepare for college, and she worked tirelessly to assist others through the admission process. For all of her hard work she was recognized by her school as the Student of the Month in  April 2011, She then received the honor of becoming OSA's first College Summit's Peer Leader of the Year 2011. Her success kept going, she was accepted to 11 out of 21 colleges she had applied to, she won prom queen, and at her graduation, she was awarded the Student Leadership Award. She is now studying at Clark Atlanta University and plans to be part of their graduating class of 2015!

Nominate Peer Leaders for the 2012 Peer Leader of the Year Awards

Click here to go to our nomination form

Do you know of a College Summit Peer Leader who has inspired, helped, supported, and/or pushed you or any students at your school (9th-12th grade) to think about or work on their plans for life after high school? Is there a College Summit Peer Leader who comes to mind when you think about all the great things happening at your school in increasing awareness around college applications, financial aid, personal statements, thinking about colleges to apply to etc.? Wouldn't it be GREAT to help get them acknowledge by nominating them as our 2012 Peer Leader of the Year (as well as 3 other potential awards)

Our Peer Leader of the Year will win a fully loaded laptop and other goodies. No good deed is too little to mention and share with our judging panel. If you answered yes to any of the above questions PLEASE click here and tell us about it.

On April 27, 2012 we will hold our annual Peer Leader and College Summit Community Awards Banquet. We need Peer Leaders and educators to nominate Class of 2012 Peer Leaders for one or all four Peer Leader College Summit Heart Mind Spirit Awards. See nomination form for details and award descriptions.

Tower of Power Event at Youth Empowerment School in Oakland. (Tower of Power is hands-on financial Aid workshop led by our Peer Leaders in collaboration with College Summit at their school.)

Stay Connected

Alumni — Make sure you always receive updates from College Summit and stay connected to a national network of College Summit Alumni! Join our Alumni Network today!

Peer Leaders — Read and contribute to the exclusive Northern California Peer Leader blog, Leading The Way In The Bay.

College Summit Alumni Event

On December 17, 2011 the Bay Area will host the 4th annual Deloitte Alumni Day, a professional development event. Partnering with Deloitte, College Summit are inviting our alumni to connect with Deloitte Professionals to to learn more about how to succeed while still in college and how to prepare for career success. Sign-up today.

Northern California Alumni Leader Applications and Information Sessions

The Northern California region holds a strong commitment to providing continued support and opportunities for our alumni. Our Alumni Leaders are a valuable part of the team at workshops, as they stand as testaments to the success that Peer Leaders strive to achieve. They are like the big brothers and sisters of the workshop, leading by example and sharing their experiences and lessons learned with the rising high school seniors.

Are you interested in learning more about the role and responsibilities of being an Alumni Leader? Contact our Community Engagement & Development Coordinator, Raquel Espana at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 415-227-9905 x105.

College Summit Alumni training for the 2011 summer workshop season; Alumni are selected and trained every spring to become Alumni Leaders