After nearly 20 years of working in the education field, I’m proud to say that HEAF is one of the most remarkable organizations with which I’ve been involved. HEAF’s most distinctive feature is what brought me here: a 10-year continuum of academic and social development to help high-potential students make lasting changes in their lives. The model was unlike anything I’d ever seen, and it’s been a thrill working with the board, staff, and students every year to build upon that great foundation and create an experience for students that literally changes the course of their lives. Year after year, HEAF admits students who have tremendous potential and who show up after-school, weekends and sometimes summers to learn, to grow, to be transformed, and to transform others. It is amazing to watch—and wonderful to be a part of—their determination and commitment to achievement.
Lately, an enormous amount of attention has been paid to closing the achievement gap between Black and Latino students and their white and Asian counterparts. In the midst of the discourse, there has been lots of misinformation circulated about the aspirations and family structure of underrepresented students. Dr. Theresa Perry, of Simmons College in Boston, aptly quoted a Black rural grandparent on the matter: “When the corn doesn’t grow, everybody looks to the soil, the weather and the environment. Nobody blames the corn.” As an educator, the number of students I have encountered who did not aspire to a better life has paled in comparison to the number of students who wanted a better future for themselves. According to the U.S. Department of Education, 77% of Black high school sophomores and 73% of Latino high school sophomores hope to attain a bachelors degree or higher. These rates have more than doubled over the last ten years. The desire is there. So, what of the soil, the weather, the environment?
Well, “the corn” is growing at HEAF. This fall, we saw our students go off to colleges and universities that included Swarthmore, Syracuse, Connecticut College, DePauw, and Purdue. While our middle school students were here at HEAF studying everything from forensic science to entrepreneurship, our high school students were traveling the world – Brazil, Peru, and Panama to name a few – and participating in pre-college summer programs at NYU, Georgetown, Vassar, U of Penn, and our college students were interning at investments banks, law firms, and giving back at HEAF.
We believe that our students deserve access to the best educational and enrichment opportunities available, and we teach them to expect the best of HEAF, their schools, their peers, and themselves. We foster a strong sense of intellectual curiosity, leadership, and perseverance. We give young people space to be themselves; we welcome their input in program development and activities; and we respect them as learners. Why does it work so well? We don’t begin with pre-conceived notions of who our students are, or of what they are capable. We begin with our vision of who they can become and work to make sure it’s a vision they come to share and embrace. I am proud that it’s working.
"Education is not preparation for life. Education is life itself." - John Dewey
Dr. Danielle Moss Lee
President and CEO
