A story of renewal

My father immigrated to the United States as an adult. He and my mother finished the 8th and 7th grades respectively. At the age of 14, I stopped living at home full time and couch surfed my way to a diploma, finishing high school with a 1.8 GPA. I believed students "like me" did not go to college and live successful lives. That mindset would become the platform I would base all decisions upon as a young adult and it was my largest barrier to living the life I was capable of.

My story is not an anomaly. For decades, poor students and people of color have been underperforming in our schools. They disproportionately struggle to connect what they're learning in school to life outside of it. I can personally relate to the challenges students face which have nothing to do with their intelligence, creativity or motivation to succeed.

This is why the In4All Board of Directors selected me to lead the organization at a critical time in 2016. My personal connection to students who have been historically underserved informs my passion to create meaningful business-school partnerships that will nurture hope in the lives of others throughout the state.

Please take a couple minutes to watch a short video of my story and consider that thousands of students are facing challenges that are even bigger right now. Individuals that overcome those barriers will do so because people like you and me believed in them, invested in them, and connected them to possibilities they may not have imagined for themselves.

In4All Executive Director, Elaine Charpentier Philippi