Summer Search and the 2011 Boston Marathon

April 18th, 2011
Posted by Erik Peterson

It’s Marathon Monday in Boston, a day that will be truly unforgettable for some 25,000 runners who will be competing in the 115^th Boston Marathon. For runners, the Boston Marathon compares with stepping onto the field at the Super Bowl, and I’m thrilled to be joining the field this year. As a member of the Entrepreneurship Program at ConnectEDU, I’m even more excited to be supporting Summer Search Boston, a unique college access organization that combines traditional college prep support with once-in-a-lifetime summer experiential learning opportunities.

Summer Search targets the most deserving students: 92% are first-generation college-bound, and their families make less than $25,000 a year on average. These students face an environment of great challenges and low expectations. Only about 60% of Boston Public High School students will graduate, while less than 20% will complete a college degree. But the students that are lucky enough to join Summer Search are given a fighting chance to break the cycle of poverty.

In addition to weekly mentoring, test prep, and college counseling, Summer Search students attend two experiential learning programs during their sophomore and junior year summers. Many students attend Outward Bound leadership development trips, attend summer programs at American universities, or participate in study abroad programs around world. What does hiking and traveling have to do with closing the educational attainment gap? Ask Ron Delorme, a Summer Search alumnus who hiked the Sierra Nevada. “The first day made me want to give up,” he told the Summer Search team last week, “but it was worth it, because I did some things I never thought I could do before.” That’s exactly what striving for a college degree means for disadvantaged students: defying the expectations of a broken system that lets far too many promising individuals fall through the cracks. 

That mission lines up pretty nicely with what we strive for at ConnectEDU. In my work on the product development team at ConnectEDU, I’ve helped design and develop tools to help students reach their end goals. Students across the nation are facing unique challenges when applying to college and researching careers. Regardless of what hurdles they face, ConnectEDU is working to provide the tools they need manage their education and launch their career.

Summer Search has the results to prove the program’s efficacy: 100% of Summer Search Boston’s students graduate from high school, and 89% have completed or are persisting in their postsecondary degrees. These are extremely impressive numbers, and I feel so honored to support such a worthy cause. 

Wish me luck today as I take on the 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to Boston, and please consider supporting Summer Search’s noble mission and impressive results!

Visit my fundraising page to learn more.