On November 16th, 2023, Columbia University was gracious enough to bring their Essay Writing Workshop to BranchOut! friends and families. One of the Assistant Directors of Undergraduate Admissions at Columbia University, Mr. Benny Rivera, led this workshop and Q&A session. Attended by high school seniors fine-tuning their essays and high school juniors just beginning to brainstorm essay topics, the event was marked by key insights to the purpose of the college essay. Flyer fr

This year, BranchOut! was honored to host admissions officers from 14 different colleges and universities for two informative College Admissions Webinars. Most recently, admissions officers from Stanford, MIT, Rice, Penn, Carnegie Mellon, Johns Hopkins, and Dartmouth joined us on September 26th, 2023. A testament to the wealth of knowledge each of these admissions officers possesses, they were able to answer over 50 audience questions! These questions included topics ranging

Calling all BranchOut! members: past and present! You and your families are invited to celebrate BranchOut!'s 8th Anniversary on Saturday, October 7th at 7pm - 9pm ET. Join us as we celebrate all the new growth and success you have helped BranchOut! achieved over the past year. Join us as we celebrate you! This virtual event will function as both a Celebration for current BranchOut! mentors and an Open House for those interested in joining next summer. This event features...

BranchOut! hosted its summer 2023 picnic to celebrate the end of a successful summer on Sunday, August 13, 2023, at the Cabin John Regional Park in Bethesda, Maryland with 60+ students, alumni, and parents in attendance. We want to thank the student leaders who worked very hard to make the event happen. Below are their post-event reflections. "The BranchOut! Summer 2023 picnic was incredibly moving as I got to see how much we’ve managed to accomplish across all of BranchOut!’

BranchOut! hosted its summer 2023 picnic to celebrate the end of a successful summer on Sunday, August 13, 2023, at the Cabin John Regional Park in Bethesda, Maryland with 60+ students, alumni, and parents in attendance. We were excited to see many of BranchOut!’s mentors at the picnic, meeting other mentors and students whom they have worked with online this summer. Mentors made quick friends with each other, bonding in discussions and playing games like frisbee and mafia. T

Join us this August and September for four admissions workshops to meet current admissions officers from private high schools and colleges and ask questions! Upcoming Event: College Admissions Night Tuesday, September 26th at 7:30 PM ET Carnegie Mellon University, Dartmouth University, Johns Hopkins University, MIT, Rice University, Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania Zoom Meeting ID: 838 2145 7660 Zoom Passcode: 066205 Direct Zoom link: link Past 2023 Admissions

Last year, BranchOut! returned its in-person tutoring program for the first time since the pandemic. This summer marked another successful year for the BranchOut! tutoring program. BranchOut! mentors stepped up once again to provide critical academic support to students participating in the Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) Credit Recovery Program (CRA). The three-week summer program provides a crucial lifeline for high school students who do not meet certain graduation re

To thank our mentors for their hard work this summer, BranchOut! is hosting a potluck-style Picnic to provide a fun opportunity for mentors to meet each other in person and network. BranchOut! alumni as well as parents/family members and friends are welcome to join this event. The BranchOut! Fall Picnic information Date: Sunday, August 13th, 2023 (rain or shine!) Time: 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM Location: Cabin John Regional Park: 7400 Tuckerman LN, Bethesda, MD, 20817 at Picnic Shel

Did you know that around 40% of Ivy League students attended a private high school? Did you know that Mark Zuckerberg went to Phillips Exeter Academy, a top private high school in the country, before joining Harvard? Join us on Tuesday, August 8th at 7:30 PM ET/4:30 PM PT via Zoom for insights from top US high school admissions officers! The audience will hear directly from the current admissions officers representing Phillips Exeter Academy, The Hill School, Taft School, The

The Explorer magazine, a student-managed program led by BranchOut!, will explore student voices throughout the international community in its summer 2023 publishing program and upcoming issues. Founded in May 2021, the Explorer has focused on issues varying from coming of age to spotlighting the activities of BranchOut!. The Explorer magazine aims to extend its work, highlighting varying international student voices during this season. In a statement to the Explorer, BranchOu

As the first week of BranchOut! drew to a close, the team wants to take a moment to celebrate the successful start. We are happy to see our student volunteers demonstrating exceptional teamwork and achieving fantastic team and personal milestones. During the first week, the different teams and programs showed tremendous enthusiasm and determination. Here is a recap of what each team did: The Innovators team hit the ground running in their first week, displaying an exceptional

Back by popular demand! BranchOut! had a successful STEAM camp last summer at the Pohick Library in Virginia, and we are excited to bring back the same fun and educational program this year to students in Maryland! BranchOut! x Montgomery County STEAM CAMP is now at Rockville Memorial Library every Sunday morning from 10 AM - 12 PM, from July 9th to August 13th, for six weeks. The MC STEAM CAMP provides 3rd to 8th graders the opportunity to discover their interest in STEM thr

BranchOut!’s annual training and open house event took place on Saturday, June 24th, 2023 at 9 AM EST. During this event, we heard from two community leaders, Mr. Vincent Yee and Ms. Mona Roy, who discussed the importance of civic engagement. We also heard from Dr. Yuhsien Wu, co-founder of BranchOut!, who gave a presentation on how to be a leader. New and returning members alike were inspired by the stories and motivation the speakers had to offer. Our training event kicked

With the end of school, many summer programs have begun in Howard County Public School System. BranchOut! is proud to be invited back to support three HCPSS programs, namely Black Student Achievement Program, Innovative Pathways Credit Recovery/Gear Up, and Extended School Year Academic Intervention. This is the first year that Howard County BranchOut! mentors were given the opportunity to help with the Innovative Pathways (IP) Credit Recovery/Gear Up Program. This program of

BranchOut! mentors of the Howard County Chapter had an incredible opportunity to enhance their leadership qualities through a workshop led by Dr. Joanne Zhang on Sunday, May 21 at the East Columbia Branch Library, Columbia, MD. The event brought together new and returning mentors, fostering team bonding through engaging activities and insightful discussions on effective leadership. Dr. Joanne Zhang graciously shared her expertise, offering valuable feedback to the mentors, wh

BranchOut! Boston is excited to partner with a Harvard-affiliated youth shelter organization in Cambridge, which is the nation’s first youth-led homeless shelter. Seeking to support community organizations and promote cultural understanding, the BranchOut! team was drawn to the mission of Y2Y to offer programming to “interrupt the cycle of homelessness for a generation of young adults.” At any time, you can find Y2Y’s facility, which was designed with the goal to make its gue

BranchOut! Boston had a fantastic time volunteering at Port Arts Fest in Cambridge, MA this past Sunday, May 21st. Hosted by the Community Art Center, this community-based festival features a mural competition and attracts a large and enthusiastic crowd each year. This event marked BranchOut!'s first volunteer action in the Boston area. Kudos, BranchOut!. We look forward to our upcoming collaboration with the Community Art Center this summer! If you are interested in joining

On Sunday, May 7th, ten BranchOut! mentors gathered at the Kilmore Center in Vienna, Virginia, and participated in an event organized by KEEN Greater DC. KEEN is a nonprofit that stands for Kids Enjoy Exercise Now and its mission is to “empower youth with disabilities and impact volunteer coaches through participation in free, non-competitive, one-on-one programs of physical activity and fun, supporting the overall health and well-being of all participants.” Elizabeth Li, a

BranchOut!'s The Explorer, a magazine for teens from around the world, is looking for articles! Our theme for the spring issue is Looking to the Future. We keep prompts as vague as possible to encourage you to write about things that are personally important to you. Possible prompts include: What is the future look like? Where will the place you live be in ten years? How your past has shaped your future? Submission deadline: May 15th, 2023 for the Spring issue. Submissions