BranchOut!’s annual training and open house event took place on Friday, June 21st, 2024, at 7 PM EST. BranchOut! leaders David Cao and Dr. Linfeng Chen, a member of the Howard County Public School Systems Board of Education, encouraged new and returning members to grow and explore their passions. This year, David Cao, a rising Harvard freshman who has been a BranchOut! mentor since middle school, kicked off the training event. He began by talking about his transformative expe

This just in! The Explorer Magazine is proud to announce the recent publication of its newest installment. Since its founding in May 2021, The Explorer has produced articles and interviews focusing on issues ranging from coming of age, to local volunteer efforts. Part of The Explorer’s third volume, this digital magazine continues the exploration of multicultural perspectives and global connections. In the Fall Issue, The Explorer shared interviews with students and figures

After a summer filled with new developments, lifelong connections, and hundreds of service hours logged, the BranchOut! Student Leadership team worked tirelessly to plan one last event: our 8th anniversary celebration and program wrap-up. On October 7th, 2023, BranchOut! mentors (and some potential new ones) gathered via zoom for an evening of performances, speeches, and reflections. If you were unable to attend this event live, keep reading on to get a taste of the growth an

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

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

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

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