Celebrating a Decade of Impact: BranchOut!’s 10th Anniversary Recap

BranchOut!
2 hours ago
4 min read

On October 5th, the Kreeger Auditorium at Bender JCC of Greater Washington was filled with energy, inspiration, and gratitude as we celebrated a major milestone—BranchOut!'s 10th anniversary. This special event brought together community members, students, mentors, and leaders from Virginia and Maryland to celebrate ten years of growth, leadership, and impactful service.

The day kicked off with a clip of congratulatory messages from BranchOut!'s former student leaders as well as LA Chapter heads. Emceed by Alkehya Hota (James Madison High School, Class of 2027) and Mabelle Liu (Marriott's Ridge High School, Class of 2027), the event began with heartfelt speeches, including remarks from our co-founder, Dr. Yuhsien Wu, whose vision and dedication have been key to our journey. Honored guests from different communities shared their perspectives, highlighting the importance of youth empowerment and community involvement. In addition to hearing from our esteemed guests, including the FCPS Board Member, Ryan McElveen, and BranchOut! Howard County Chair, Dr. Meina Liu, we were also excited that a few of BranchOut!'s alumni could join us. We want to thank Andrew Chen, Anshu Sharma, Jasmine Tu, and Jonathan Zou for attending the celebration event. Their support and attendance meant a lot to us!

Throughout the event, attendees enjoyed engaging performances by talented students, showcasing the rich cultural talents within our community. From traditional Indian dance to Chinese classical ballet, these performances highlighted the diversity and vibrancy that make BranchOut! special. We were truly grateful that Natya Margam, Carissa Kwan from Xuejuan Dance Ensemble, and the Washington Dunhuang Guzheng Academy contributed to this event as our guest performers.

Honor and recognition were central to the celebration. We honored student mentors and leaders who dedicated countless hours to guiding and inspiring youth by presenting various awards, including the Congressional Awards and the Outstanding Chapter Award. We were also excited to announce the governor's citations from Maryland, Massachusetts, and Virginia. These milestones highlighted the remarkable dedication of our community members to promoting leadership and fostering positive change.

The morning also featured an interactive Q&A session led by Caroline Li (TJ, Class of 2026) and Arbaaz Singh (Washington Liberty High School, Class of 2027), where guests and attendees discussed ideas about nurturing future leaders and strengthening community bonds. The event concluded with closing remarks from Ethan Gao (River Hill High School, Class of 2026), BranchOut!'s current president, who shared his journey and delivered a heartfelt message of encouragement along with a shared vision for the future years ahead.

This event took over six months of preparation, and we can't thank enough all the volunteers involved in making this event a reality. We would also like to thank all of our special guests for joining us (see the complete list below). As we look back on a decade of accomplishments, we extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who has been part of this journey. Your support and dedication have made BranchOut! a vibrant force for good. Here's to many more years of leadership, community service, and making a difference together. We are excited for the future and the countless opportunities to continue inspiring our youth. Thank you for celebrating with us!

Special thanks to our volunteers:

Photographer: Song Pan

Stage Managers: Meina Liu & Cuiwei Zhao

Tech Manager: Sabrina Li

Program Manager: Jennifer Zhang

Emcees: Alekyha Hota, Mabelle Liu

Receptionists: Clara Luo, Caroline Li, & Arbaaz Singh

Ushers: Daisy Deng & Hanson Zhang

Merch table: Elizabeth Liu & Emily Qiu

Click below to see a short 2-minute recap of the event.

Click below to view congratulatory messages from former BranchOut! student leaders and current LA chapter heads. Michelle Liu, Isabella Wu, Jonathan Wu, Savannah Zhu, Songhan Pang, Jasmine Su, and Brian Chen - thank you for your contributions to this video!

We want to thank the community leaders for taking time out of their busy schedules to join us on October 5th! The list is organized alphabetically.

Linfeng Chen, Vice Chair of the Board of Education, Howard County Public School System (MD)
Luke Chung, Former Harvard College Admissions and Scholarship Committee
Min Li, Honorary President, Chinese Alumni Associations of Greater Washington
Meina Liu, Chair of the BranchOut! Howard County Chapter (MD)
Ping Lu, Education Committee of APA Affairs Commission (MD)
Ryan McElveen, School Board Member at Large, Fairfax County Public Schools (VA)
Thai Nguyen, Governor's Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs (MD)
Christina Poy, Director of the Governor's Office of Community Initiatives (MD)
Lily Qi, Maryland State Delegate
Faisal Quader, Governor's Commission on South Asian American Affairs (MD)
Chao Wu, Maryland State Delegate
Haipei Xue, President of United Chinese American (UCA)
Julie Yang, President of the Board of Education, Montgomery County Public Schools (MD)
Lei Zhang, Director on the Board of Howard County Chinese School (MD)
Cuiwei Zhao, Director of the BranchOut! Howard County Chapter (MD)
Yuyan Zhou, President of CAPA NoVA/ Member of the Virginia Asian Board
Peter Zou, Former VP of Fortune 50 company, Former Chinese School Principal (VA)