May 20, 2020 Newsletter
Dear MYL Family,
It is usually around this time of year that we work on perfecting our MassSTAR beat, brush up on the ferret cheer, and get ready to receive our new class of delegates for the MassSTAR Conference. While we will not get the chance to yell at the top of our lungs in the neighborhoods of Newton on an early Friday morning, we continue to promote citizenship and social connections in our communities as we move forward into the summer months. I am excited to share with you in this newsletter some of the ways MYL has and will continue to fulfill that mission over the coming weeks.
Alumni Virtual Service Event - May 30th at 1pm EST
One of the most impactful moments of the MassSTAR Conference is our community service fair as it is a time when we all come together to serve for a greater cause in our community. We wanted to continue the mission and spirit of the community service fair this year during the weekend of the conference. On Saturday, May 30th, we will be hosting a virtual service event for the MYL community where we will be preparing e-cards for care facilities in Massachusetts. Similar to the in-person event, we’ll spend time talking with each other and create greeting cards, encouraging signs, and other crafts. At the end of the event, we will be sending them to care facilities in Massachusetts. All alumni, family, and friends are invited to be part of this event. You can find more details of this event on our website. A link to Zoom will be posted on our Instagram and will be sent out via email as we get closer to the date.
Continuing to inspire change in our communities
I would like to congratulate Jessica Costas, our most recent recipient of the MYL Empowered Citizens Grant. Jess is 2015 alumna and currently finishing up a BFA in Theatre Education and a minor in Entrepreneurship at Emerson College. Jessica was awarded the grant for her work with Senior Theatre, a nonprofit she helped start that brings intergenerational programming for eldery communities. Senior Theatre placed second in Emerson’s Annual E3 Expo this past April and has already brought joy to some of the elderly communities in Jess’ area. Check out our website to learn more about the MYL Empower Citizenship Grant and see past winners and their projects.
'>It is usually around this time of year that we work on perfecting our MassSTAR beat, brush up on the ferret cheer, and get ready to receive our new class of delegates for the MassSTAR Conference. While we will not get the chance to yell at the top of our lungs in the neighborhoods of Newton on an early Friday morning, we continue to promote citizenship and social connections in our communities as we move forward into the summer months. I am excited to share with you in this newsletter some of the ways MYL has and will continue to fulfill that mission over the coming weeks.
Alumni Virtual Service Event - May 30th at 1pm EST
One of the most impactful moments of the MassSTAR Conference is our community service fair as it is a time when we all come together to serve for a greater cause in our community. We wanted to continue the mission and spirit of the community service fair this year during the weekend of the conference. On Saturday, May 30th, we will be hosting a virtual service event for the MYL community where we will be preparing e-cards for care facilities in Massachusetts. Similar to the in-person event, we’ll spend time talking with each other and create greeting cards, encouraging signs, and other crafts. At the end of the event, we will be sending them to care facilities in Massachusetts. All alumni, family, and friends are invited to be part of this event. You can find more details of this event on our website. A link to Zoom will be posted on our Instagram and will be sent out via email as we get closer to the date.
Continuing to inspire change in our communities
I would like to congratulate Jessica Costas, our most recent recipient of the MYL Empowered Citizens Grant. Jess is 2015 alumna and currently finishing up a BFA in Theatre Education and a minor in Entrepreneurship at Emerson College. Jessica was awarded the grant for her work with Senior Theatre, a nonprofit she helped start that brings intergenerational programming for eldery communities. Senior Theatre placed second in Emerson’s Annual E3 Expo this past April and has already brought joy to some of the elderly communities in Jess’ area. Check out our website to learn more about the MYL Empower Citizenship Grant and see past winners and their projects.
Welcoming our new Director of Development
It is with great pleasure to introduce Jam Sulahry, Director of Development, to our Board of Directors. Jam graduated from Boston College in 2017 and is currently working as a Senior Business Analyst at Kearney in Chicago. He will be working with the rest of the Board to continue expanding our fundraising efforts so that we may continue to provide enriching leadership programs to young adults across Massachusetts. Jam first became involved with MYL through word-of-mouth. He was never a delegate, but the missions of the MYL Foundation and the MassSTAR Conference strongly resonated with him. He has been an outstanding leader in his community and has led several initiatives, including a service project to raise money for a school in Indonesia through the Fulbright Program.
Stay connected
We continue to showcase our fantastic alumni through our Alumni Spotlight on our website. Make sure to follow us @massyouthleadership on Instagram and tune in today to catch Olivia Lavidor ‘16 for this week’s Alumni Instagram Takeover. Finally, catch us next Wednesday at 9pm EST for our next featured guest on our Alumni Interview Series.
As we navigate these uncertain times, it is important to keep in mind that we are all in this together. We may not be able to dance to our favorite songs at the MassSTAR social, but I hope you are still gettin’ down and living on the energy and lessons of the conference at home. I hope to see you during our virtual service event. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me for more information.
Warm Regards,
Cristian Bedoya
President, Massachusetts Youth Leadership Foundation
It is with great pleasure to introduce Jam Sulahry, Director of Development, to our Board of Directors. Jam graduated from Boston College in 2017 and is currently working as a Senior Business Analyst at Kearney in Chicago. He will be working with the rest of the Board to continue expanding our fundraising efforts so that we may continue to provide enriching leadership programs to young adults across Massachusetts. Jam first became involved with MYL through word-of-mouth. He was never a delegate, but the missions of the MYL Foundation and the MassSTAR Conference strongly resonated with him. He has been an outstanding leader in his community and has led several initiatives, including a service project to raise money for a school in Indonesia through the Fulbright Program.
Stay connected
We continue to showcase our fantastic alumni through our Alumni Spotlight on our website. Make sure to follow us @massyouthleadership on Instagram and tune in today to catch Olivia Lavidor ‘16 for this week’s Alumni Instagram Takeover. Finally, catch us next Wednesday at 9pm EST for our next featured guest on our Alumni Interview Series.
As we navigate these uncertain times, it is important to keep in mind that we are all in this together. We may not be able to dance to our favorite songs at the MassSTAR social, but I hope you are still gettin’ down and living on the energy and lessons of the conference at home. I hope to see you during our virtual service event. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me for more information.
Warm Regards,
Cristian Bedoya
President, Massachusetts Youth Leadership Foundation