Our second annual summer retreat proved an irresistible and inspiring mix of learning, bonding, laughing, and growing.

Awardees and their mentors gathered in July for a day packed with impressive guest speakers. We were treated to sessions on:

Mindfulness and guided meditation with local instructor, Ji Sun Chong
Budgeting and credit basics with Single Stop's Paula Umana
Career navigating and networking with Karen Lewis from Drexel University
Moving from immigrant to entrepreneur with the CEO of ROAR for Good, Yasmine Mustafa
Finding our voice and our narrative with Philly Slam League's founder, Matt Kay

"It was relatable and gave me confidence and inspiration to overcome struggle," remarked one awardee about hearing Yasmine's story. Another shared how the financial session "answered so many questions I have, and it was great being able to hear advice and answers from so many people."

Awardees weren't the only ones who benefited from the day's content. The day "made me feel more comfortable addressing self-care with myself!," shared one mentor while another admitted "I didn't want to do the slam poetry when I saw it on the agenda and I didn't want to do it as we started. Now that we've done it, I'm going to incorporate it into my routine."

Our retreat is designed to build skills and connections to draw from throughout the school year. We feel certain we met our objective.