The Biogen Foundation Releases its STAR Initiative Video Featuring Enroot

The Biogen Foundation launched the STAR Initiative in 2018 – a coordinated funding strategy, investing $10 million over four years – designed to help catalyze the development of local STEM ecosystems in Cambridge and Somerville. Enroot is lucky enough to be one of the six nonprofits the Biogen Foundation is partnering with. Read more about the project here.

CCF Spotlight: Enroot Rooting Immigrant Students in Community, College, and Career Paths

This past week, the Cambridge Community Foundation spotlighted Enroot for its dedication to immigrant youth in the Cambridge community. To read more about it click here.

Being a high school student is a challenge, given academic expectations, social-emotional development, and planning for college or a career. It’s even tougher if you aren’t born in this country, you and your family aren’t familiar with the education landscape, and English isn’t your first language. Fortunately, Cambridge students who have immigrated can get support through Enroot, an afterschool program specifically designed to help them through high school and their first two years of college.

Enroot prepares immigrant youth for academic, career and personal success through out-of-school time mentorships, tutoring, internships, and exposure to career paths and professionals. We chatted with Ben Clark, executive director, and Dananai Morgan, director of development and strategic initiatives, about Enroot’s work and goals for this 2019-20 school year.

CCF: Enroot recently expanded its programming to include two years of college support. How is this helping your scholars?

Dananai Morgan: In the past, we were only supporting students through high school. With new funding, we are able to continue our programming through the first two years of college, which is a help because almost all Enroot students are first-gen college students, so many decisions like financial aid and course load are challenges they have to figure out on their own.

There are two core components of our program: 1-on-1 coaching from Enroot staff and mentoring. Our mentors get to know students’ learning and study habits in high school and in college, they know their student well enough to check in informally and ask them, ‘How are things really going?’ With ongoing support from people they know, our college students are better able to handle their needs and challenges.

Ben Clark: Our students are going through a big social-emotional process, moving from their home country, going to high school in Cambridge and then to college; and moving from being part of a dominant race to being in a diverse community with a multicultural identity. Some of our students go on to predominantly white college campuses. Not all our students have a parent or adult who can guide them through these experiences in the way that many middle-income, white students have. Enroot mentors can play that important role.

We have proof points that our model is working: Enroot alumni complete college at nearly three times the rate of other first-gen, immigrant students in Massachusetts.

This school year, who are your students? What are some goals for your programming?

Ben Clark: We have students from 37 countries this year. We’re actively working with 55 college students and plan to work with 190 high school students. We’ve also rallied 300 community members as volunteers and we have a growing group of donors fired up about our mission so we can be bolder and more ambitious in terms of growth goals. Engaging the community and lifting up the experiences of our scholars —whose lives and challenges often aren’t that visible to others — remains a big piece of the work we do.

“If we’re serious about equity, then our students need to be spending time with people who share parts of their identity, and who have achieved success.”

— Ben Clark

What are some examples of Enroot students’ career explorations and their impact?

Ben Clark: We recently took 45 students to the Harvard Humanitarian Initiatives office for a panel on careers in medicine, public health, and humanitarian assistance. We visit a number of local companies in Cambridge and Somerville, like Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Ava Robotics, and Biogen. Last week, we had a career panel featuring speakers with an immigrant background pursuing careers in STEAM fields, including a couple Enroot alumni. The goal behind these events is to expose students not only to various career fields but also to professional people who look like them and who can relate to the challenges they’re experiencing. We’re actively cultivating more relationships in the community for this purpose.

Our goal is really to open doors and break down barriers. Our students get involved in work that didn’t exist even a few years ago, and without concerted effort, our students wouldn’t have access to. If we’re serious about equity, then our students need to be spending time with people who share parts of their identity, and who have achieved success.

CCF: Could you share some stories of Enroot alumni?

Ben Clark: Kebrewosen ‘Kiki’ joined Enroot shortly after immigrating to the United States. Enroot placed her in an internship at the Cambridge Community Foundation where she made valuable connections and CCF brokered introductions for employment in medical research. In addition to her academic and professional pursuits, she is producing narratives of immigrants in short documentaries. That was never a path she imagined she would take. But Enroot students have a variety of experiences and relationships, which can rapidly accelerate their English learning and influence how they envision their futures.

We’re so proud to see many Enroot alumni in leadership roles in Cambridge and beyond. One example is Maria Melo, multi-service center director for the city of Cambridge’s Department of Human Service Programs. There’s also Carmen Gomez, who is Chief Probation Officer in Chelsea District Court, and Jean Montout who started as a high school intern with Louis DePasquale, our current city manager. Louis mentored Jean for years, then hired him full-time after college. Jean is now growing his career as a player in the city government.

Tri Ho moved here from Vietnam, went to UMASS Amherst to study engineering, and is thriving in a career with a technology company. He’s lifting up and supporting his parents and family. For the last five years he’s served as a tutor at Enroot and three years ago joined Enroot’s Board of Directors. Tri models for us what we hope is possible for our alumni: student, graduate, mentor, tutor, community leader – that’s the full circle.

Immigrant students are counting on you!

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“When I first joined the program… I had almost given up on my education. Enroot opened up a way for me and I was able to see that anything was possible if I kept doing my best and not giving up.” - Angela, Enroot College Success Freshman, 2019 Dear Friends, For over two decades, support from individuals like you has made it possible for hundreds of students like Angela to pursue their families’ dreams with courage and confidence. Over the last 5 years, Enroot has grown from serving 30 students in Cambridge, to now over 200 students across Cambridge, Somerville, and on 19 college campuses. None of this would have been possible without the generous support of individuals like you. Thank you.     Last year, with instrumental funding from individual and institutional donors, we launched our College Success program to support our high school graduates in their first two years after graduation, ensuring a successful transition into their post-secondary life.  “As a first-generation college student, I feel really proud of myself for such an incredible step in my life. My family has worked really hard in order for me to get to this country and going to college is a way to thank them for everything they have done for me. As an immigrant student, I’ve faced lots of challenges. There were people out there that believed I couldn’t make it. Sometimes I found myself in a position I was believing I couldn’t make it...But I got to a point where I told myself, ‘you can do it’. Since that moment I started to work harder and harder. I stayed after school to get work done or get helped with my assignments. And I got it. I’m officially a college student pursuing a psychology degree.” - Karla, Enroot College Success Freshman, 2019 This year’s campaign, with a goal of raising $100,000 from dedicated community members like you, will not only allow Enroot to reach more students, but will also enable us to better respond to their evolving needs at this challenging time for immigrants in our country. Our Students, Our Model, Our Impact It’s never been easy to be an immigrant in the United States. Leaving behind beloved family members, familiar traditions, culture, and community is a challenge many of us cannot fully appreciate. Right here in Massachusetts, immigrant students face daily threats, discrimination, and hateful rhetoric around the community and even within the school hallways.  Enroot is the only agency in Massachusetts offering a multi-faceted program exclusively focused on addressing the specific needs of immigrant students. Our approach includes tutoring, mentoring, leadership development, post-secondary access workshops, professional internships, and college success coaching.  "Enroot is the exact type of partnership that districts strive to have and we were fortunate enough to get. The students who have been part of Enroot  are more college and career ready."  - Somerville Superintendent of Schools, Mary Skipper Our program has proven effective at dramatically improving the success outcomes for English learner students. We’re proud that our students go on to graduate college at more than twice the rate of their peers. While this is an accomplishment we celebrate with our 400+ alumni, we know we are just getting started and look forward to supporting future students to accomplish even more. Your donation to Enroot’s annual campaign will help us inspire the dreamers and leaders of tomorrow.  This important work is only possible with your generous support.    Please make a gift today! Thank you, for being an Enroot supporter, for making an impact on the lives of newcomers, and for continuing to invite your friends and family to join our fight for educational equity. Our students and the entire organization are deeply appreciative of your support.  With gratitude,  Ben Clark Executive Director, Enroot Mahlet Aklu August 5, 2019 Letters To Our Community Confronting White Nationalism, in El Paso and everywhere it manifests itself Mahlet Aklu August 5, 2019 Letters To Our Community Dear Enroot Community, Heartbroken and Shocked. These are our natural responses to tragic violence like the attacks over the weekend in El Paso and Dayton. As the leader of an organization dedicated to lifting up the positive truth about immigrants and supporting their success, any assault on their humanity is painful. As the husband of an amazing Mexican American woman and proud father of Mexican American children, the attack in El Paso hurts in a special way. In addition to the incomprehensible feeling of loss among victims’ families, these events also inflict trauma on many millions of people and leave them feeling less welcome, less accepted, and far less safe. Voicing these responses, of being heartbroken and shocked, assure us of our humanity and help bring us together. And yet we can no longer truthfully claim to be shocked. Neither event could be described as shocking since they fit right into a disturbing trend that must be confronted vigorously and immediately. While the motive of the Dayton shooter remains unclear for now, the El Paso shooter was motivated by a racist White Nationalist narrative that is growing around the world. Headlines about an ‘Anti-immigrant Massacre’ and a motivating manifesto referencing a ‘Hispanic invasion of Texas’ are all at once unthinkable and yet clearly connect to words and ideas that are amplified by thought leaders in our country. The White Nationalist ideology and movement is a cancer. Unaddressed and untreated, it will continue to grow and cause pain and destruction to our society. It is essential for those of us who recognize this threat to speak out openly, courageously, and often. It needs to become the topic of more frequent conversation among all of us so that we can better understand it. As we develop a deeper shared understanding of its genesis and its subscribers, we must take steps together as a country to relentlessly attack it at the roots and ensure it is ultimately dismantled. I hope that as we seek healing in this moment we turn to both love and action. In my experience the healing process requires we find productive channels for the outrage we feel. Let it be your fuel for taking action. Convert some of it into messages of love for those around you who need reassurance. Convert some of it also into concrete actions to confront and dismantle the White Nationalist narrative wherever you see it manifested. Each of us must find our role to play. Thank you for the many ways each of you already stand in solidarity with our immigrant community, reaffirming the truth about their humanity and enormous contribution to our country. Yours in love and in action, Ben Clark Mahlet Aklu July 15, 2019 Letters To Our Community Standing Tall in the Face of Hatred - Enroot's Letter to the Community Mahlet Aklu July 15, 2019 Letters To Our Community Dear Community, Most of our students moved to this country within the last few years. They sacrificed what was familiar in the hope that they would find greater security, stability, and opportunity. They knew it wouldn’t be easy but expected that for the most part they would be welcomed and encouraged to become their best. A few years ago it would have been impossible to believe that headlines like today’s could be written as fact, not fiction - that we would have so recklessly abandoned our most cherished shared values. So many of President Trump's tweets and initiatives have been racist and dehumanizing, from his attacks on immigrants and Muslims to attacks on women and all people of color. But few will leave as big a stain on our collective conscience as the treatment under this administration of asylum seekers and migrants at our southern border and at detention centers across the country. Recent images like that of tiny Valeria and her father Oscar, and of children crammed into cages, have left many of us heartbroken and asking ourselves, ‘Who ARE we if this is how we respond to desperate families in need?’ It’s natural for many of us to turn away and tune out periodically when feeling overwhelmed by the weight of so much hatred and negativity. Enroot students, alumni, and staff do not have this luxury and must continue to summon fresh courage, resilience, and hope as they face the direct impacts of these forces daily. Even as we express our outrage about the situation at the border, it’s important to recognize how traumatizing the rhetoric and enforcement crackdowns are; not only to our students but also to their families and other members of the immigrant community. Here are just a few real-life examples of the ways the current anti-immigrant environment impacts these beloved community members on a daily basis: The constant fear that any chance encounter with police or other public officials could result in detainment and deportation. Enduring physical and sexual abuse without reporting it to the authorities for fear of them or a loved one being deported. Wondering if a slight delay in the arrival of a parent at the end of a work shift might mean they’ve been apprehended. Parents insisting their children stay home from school and forego after-school enrichment opportunities. Enduring open harassment while moving about the city, including fellow students and adults saying things like “Go back to Africa!”, “I don’t want to be seen next to the FOB’s [Fresh Off the Boat’s]”, “Are you even legal!?”, “Trump is going to deport you all!”  Can you imagine how difficult it must be to try to heal from years of trauma experienced before arriving in this country while constantly being bombarded by fresh acts of racism and aggression? Countless studies have documented how this type of recurring trauma is particularly damaging to children and adolescents. The inhumane conditions at detention facilities, the threatened crackdown, and the many other attempts to instill fear in immigrant families require that each of us stand up with renewed vigor and use our voices to protect not only the dignity of immigrant families but also our very identity as a country. It is not an exaggeration to say this has become a fight for the soul of our nation. This fight will not be won by simply expressing our frustration and disgust to those around us who nod in agreement.  This moment requires we each stand up, volunteer more time, donate more money, and speak out with more courage and more urgency. Each time they ratchet up their racist rhetoric and tactics we must again raise the volume of our message of love, inclusion, and humanity.  Let's raise our collective voice to a decibel never before heard, in a reaffirmation of who we are - a country that is compassionate and understands that we are strengthened by immigrants every single day.  Please join me and others in the Enroot community in our commitment to fight for the security and dignity of immigrant families each day, in all the ways that we can. Below are suggestions of actions we can each take, today, tomorrow and each day until hatred and fear are no longer in the driver’s seat. Color Lines: Here's What You Can Do Right Now to Support Detained Immigrant Children. New York Times: Children Shouldn’t Be Dying at the Border. Here’s How You Can Help. Take a moment to look carefully at the photo I’ve included below. These are immigrant students. They are loving, they are driven, they are spunky, they are wise, they are unselfish, they are resilient, they are courageous. They are future coders, lawyers, inventors, engineers, carpenters, elected officials, pediatricians, accountants, social workers, they are the leaders of today and tomorrow. This is the true narrative of these young people. Thank you for your steadfast support of immigrant communities and for your activism at this crucial moment in our country’s journey toward equity. Ben Clark Executive Director Newer Posts Older Posts Back to Top 99 Bishop Allen Drive, Unit 129, Cambridge, MA, 02139, United States6178765214info@enrooteducation.org contact us info@enrooteducation.org (617) 876-5214 99 Bishop Allen Drive, Unit 129 | Cambridge, MA 02139 newsletter © enroot education 2018

Confronting White Nationalism, in El Paso and everywhere it manifests itself

Dear Enroot Community,

Heartbroken and Shocked. These are our natural responses to tragic violence like the attacks over the weekend in El Paso and Dayton.

As the leader of an organization dedicated to lifting up the positive truth about immigrants and supporting their success, any assault on their humanity is painful. As the husband of an amazing Mexican American woman and proud father of Mexican American children, the attack in El Paso hurts in a special way.

In addition to the incomprehensible feeling of loss among victims’ families, these events also inflict trauma on many millions of people and leave them feeling less welcome, less accepted, and far less safe.

Voicing these responses, of being heartbroken and shocked, assure us of our humanity and help bring us together. And yet we can no longer truthfully claim to be shocked. Neither event could be described as shocking since they fit right into a disturbing trend that must be confronted vigorously and immediately. While the motive of the Dayton shooter remains unclear for now, the El Paso shooter was motivated by a racist White Nationalist narrative that is growing around the world. Headlines about an ‘Anti-immigrant Massacre’ and a motivating manifesto referencing a ‘Hispanic invasion of Texas’ are all at once unthinkable and yet clearly connect to words and ideas that are amplified by thought leaders in our country.

The White Nationalist ideology and movement is a cancer. Unaddressed and untreated, it will continue to grow and cause pain and destruction to our society.

It is essential for those of us who recognize this threat to speak out openly, courageously, and often. It needs to become the topic of more frequent conversation among all of us so that we can better understand it. As we develop a deeper shared understanding of its genesis and its subscribers, we must take steps together as a country to relentlessly attack it at the roots and ensure it is ultimately dismantled.

I hope that as we seek healing in this moment we turn to both love and action. In my experience the healing process requires we find productive channels for the outrage we feel. Let it be your fuel for taking action. Convert some of it into messages of love for those around you who need reassurance. Convert some of it also into concrete actions to confront and dismantle the White Nationalist narrative wherever you see it manifested. Each of us must find our role to play.

Thank you for the many ways each of you already stand in solidarity with our immigrant community, reaffirming the truth about their humanity and enormous contribution to our country.

Yours in love and in action,

Ben Clark

Standing Tall in the Face of Hatred - Enroot's Letter to the Community

Dear Community,

Most of our students moved to this country within the last few years. They sacrificed what was familiar in the hope that they would find greater security, stability, and opportunity. They knew it wouldn’t be easy but expected that for the most part they would be welcomed and encouraged to become their best.

A few years ago it would have been impossible to believe that headlines like today’s could be written as fact, not fiction - that we would have so recklessly abandoned our most cherished shared values. So many of President Trump's tweets and initiatives have been racist and dehumanizing, from his attacks on immigrants and Muslims to attacks on women and all people of color. But few will leave as big a stain on our collective conscience as the treatment under this administration of asylum seekers and migrants at our southern border and at detention centers across the country. Recent images like that of tiny Valeria and her father Oscar, and of children crammed into cages, have left many of us heartbroken and asking ourselves, ‘Who ARE we if this is how we respond to desperate families in need?’

It’s natural for many of us to turn away and tune out periodically when feeling overwhelmed by the weight of so much hatred and negativity. Enroot students, alumni, and staff do not have this luxury and must continue to summon fresh courage, resilience, and hope as they face the direct impacts of these forces daily. Even as we express our outrage about the situation at the border, it’s important to recognize how traumatizing the rhetoric and enforcement crackdowns are; not only to our students but also to their families and other members of the immigrant community. Here are just a few real-life examples of the ways the current anti-immigrant environment impacts these beloved community members on a daily basis:

• The constant fear that any chance encounter with police or other public officials could result in detainment and deportation.

• Enduring physical and sexual abuse without reporting it to the authorities for fear of them or a loved one being deported.

• Wondering if a slight delay in the arrival of a parent at the end of a work shift might mean they’ve been apprehended.

• Parents insisting their children stay home from school and forego after-school enrichment opportunities.

• Enduring open harassment while moving about the city, including fellow students and adults saying things like “Go back to Africa!”, “I don’t want to be seen next to the FOB’s [Fresh Off the Boat’s]”, “Are you even legal!?”, “Trump is going to deport you all!” 

Can you imagine how difficult it must be to try to heal from years of trauma experienced before arriving in this country while constantly being bombarded by fresh acts of racism and aggression? Countless studies have documented how this type of recurring trauma is particularly damaging to children and adolescents.

The inhumane conditions at detention facilities, the threatened crackdown, and the many other attempts to instill fear in immigrant families require that each of us stand up with renewed vigor and use our voices to protect not only the dignity of immigrant families but also our very identity as a country. It is not an exaggeration to say this has become a fight for the soul of our nation.

This fight will not be won by simply expressing our frustration and disgust to those around us who nod in agreement. 

This moment requires we each stand up, volunteer more time, donate more money, and speak out with more courage and more urgency. Each time they ratchet up their racist rhetoric and tactics we must again raise the volume of our message of love, inclusion, and humanity. 

Let's raise our collective voice to a decibel never before heard, in a reaffirmation of who we are - a country that is compassionate and understands that we are strengthened by immigrants every single day. 

Please join me and others in the Enroot community in our commitment to fight for the security and dignity of immigrant families each day, in all the ways that we can. Below are suggestions of actions we can each take, today, tomorrow and each day until hatred and fear are no longer in the driver’s seat.

1. Color Lines: Here's What You Can Do Right Now to Support Detained Immigrant Children.

2. New York Times: Children Shouldn’t Be Dying at the Border. Here’s How You Can Help.

Take a moment to look carefully at the photo I’ve included below. These are immigrant students. They are loving, they are driven, they are spunky, they are wise, they are unselfish, they are resilient, they are courageous. They are future coders, lawyers, inventors, engineers, carpenters, elected officials, pediatricians, accountants, social workers, they are the leaders of today and tomorrow. This is the true narrative of these young people.

Thank you for your steadfast support of immigrant communities and for your activism at this crucial moment in our country’s journey toward equity.

Ben Clark
Executive Director