Highlights from our annual Closing Days, Graduation and Scholarship Lunch, Volunteer Appreciation Boat Cruise, Mentoring projects, and so much more
By Corianna Jackson
After an unforgettable year of programming, our students, volunteers, and staff came together to celebrate the bonds they made, the interests and skills they explored, and the goals they accomplished. From our annual Closing Day event to our Graduation and Scholarship Lunch, we are so honored to end the year serving more than 2,500 Asian American youth with programming that will help them thrive – in the present and future. For more, read below.
Each year, Apex closes out its Manhattan school year programming with annual Closing Days where staff, volunteers, and youth gather for a day of games, activities, and reflection. This year, we added our first Brooklyn Closing Day to the tradition, bringing our staple celebration to Coney Island. We brought some of our favorite activities to the beach and created new memories over arcade games and roller coasters.
While tug-of-war, pie throwing activities, and quality time with one of our favorite Apex pets, Sydney, remain close runner-ups for favorite Closing Day activities, speeches from our graduating students win every year. Whether our graduates have been in their mentor pairs since middle school, or met more recently, our speakers poignantly spoke about how these relationships have made a long-lasting impact on their lives:
“What Apex and Ben [my mentor] taught me goes beyond… They taught me how to thrive, have confidence in myself, and embrace discomfort. I know whenever I step into the Apex office, I am welcome and appreciated.”
– Jason, one of our newest Apex alum and incoming freshman at Georgetown
This year, Simon Kim generously opened up his new restaurant, COQODAQ, to celebrate our Apex graduates. We invited Apex’s 2024 high school, college, and post-grad graduates, and all the recipients of this year’s senior and alumni scholarships for an afternoon of celebration, inspiring speeches, and delicious food.
Thank you to our generous donors for sponsoring our Norman Liu Scholarships, Lin Sisters Scholarships, College Success Scholarships, and the Apex Alumni Scholarship. With almost $300,000 worth of scholarship donations, our students are able to thrive in their pursuit of higher education, unlocking doors and limitless possibilities.
“Maybe by the time I’ve graduated from college – thanks to this scholarship – Apex will be able to impact even more people and I’ll be able to work with them as well.”
– Malachy, Lin Sisters Scholarship recipient and incoming freshman at Boston University
All volunteers from the Athletics, College and Career Success, Elementary, and Mentoring programs were invited to an early evening of food, music, and fun in order to celebrate their work throughout the school year. We awarded the Volunteer of the Year award to four incredible volunteers: Ken Bamba, Athletics Program; Kristen Chuang, College Access Program; Eric Wong, Elementary Program; and Christina Cheng, High School Mentoring Program for their exceptional work and dedication to Apex youth.
“I believe as a mentor, Christina Cheng is best characterized as a cheerleader. At workshops, she balances providing individual support while challenging her mentees to step out of their comfort zones. She has worked closely with mentoring, college and career success, and mental health team staff to ensure her mentees’ have the support they need to succeed.”
– Ellie Y., High School Mentoring Program Manager
As part of our Mentoring program, we task our middle school and high school mentor pairs with creating an end of year project that engages them with their local communities. These projects are then presented at our annual end of year project fair where mentor pairs are able to present their new experiences and local adventures to friends, family, and staff.
In Brooklyn, our middle school mentoring pairs worked in groups to complete community service projects focused on improving their local park, Sunset Park. Our students repainted railings, picked up litter, mulched trees, and worked with a local artist to paint a mural encapsulating their love for the park. In our final workshop, our mentoring pairs gathered with their families to celebrate their work, enjoy the park, and view the new art installation.
In Manhattan, we tasked our mentoring pairs with exploring new places around the city— from landmarks and museums, to grocery stores and restaurants. Our youth showcased their adventures through drawings, 3D models, and video in front of their families to close out the year.
Our high school youth practiced what it means to be an engaged, active member of their community by documenting NYC neighborhoods and exploring the issues affecting community members the most. Some project topics included research on food insecurity, supporting Asian elder populations, and visiting Little Palestine to interview Palestinian immigrants.
Want to see more of Apex for Youth? Check out some of our other recent programming events:
This summer, we hosted the annual 3v3 basketball tournament for the first time in Sunset Park, Brooklyn with the continued mission of bringing different youth together to stand against anti-Asian hate.
At our annual book fair, we were able to distribute more than 4,000 books and 100 art kits to our community while our youth were able to listen to stories from AAPI authors and make memories with friends and family.
