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FACES

of

(MS)2

A Phillips Academy Outreach Program

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= (MS)2(MS)2 was founded in 1977 to address the compelling need to cultivate the mathematical and scientific abilities of economically disadvantaged African American, Latino, and Native American high school students.

In a residential setting on the historic Phillips Academy campus in Andover, Massachusetts, the three-summer program challenges students intellectually and exposes them to peers and educators with diverse backgrounds, life experiences, and aspirations.

MatheMatics + science for Minority students

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= (MS)2 A Proven Program with a Long History of Success

In 1986, a junior at Lawrence High School in Massachusetts, I was invited to participate in an urban studies program at Phillips Academy. Living and studying on the Andover campus for a semester transformed my life. My academic and professional sights were raised, and the trajectory for my life’s work was forever altered. I went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and two

advanced degrees in education, and decided to devote my career to education—as a math teacher and then as a high school principal.

Now, as director of (MS)², I have the good fortune of inviting economically disadvantaged young people from across the country to come to Andover for their own life-changing academic and personal experiences. Many of them will go on to become the first in their families to attend college, as I was. It is so gratiÃing to come full circle and hold the door wide open for the many talented young people who enter (MS)². Meet a few of them in the pages that follow.

Dianne D. CruzDirector, (MS)² 98% of (MS)2 alumni

go on to four-year colleges or universities.

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Christal Joy Forgenie, MD, credits (MS)2

with having a huge impact on her decision

to become a pediatrician. She’s also

quick to point to the lasting effects of its

lessons outside the classroom.

Raised in a culturally diverse community

in Brooklyn as part of a Trinidadian

family, Christal was still surprised by the

variety of linguistic, ethnic, and racial

backgrounds she encountered at Andover.

“It was a welcome, fun, and exciting

form of culture shock,” she says. After

finishing the program she came back as

a biology teaching assistant in 2000, and

as a teacher the following year.

“These experiences led me to understand

that (MS)2 wasn’t just there to help me,

but to help me help others,” she says.

“I finally saw myself as part of a huge,

diverse community that I wanted—and

had an obligation—to give back to.”

She’s still giving back, through her

thriving pediatric practice, where she

sees some 30 patients five-plus days a

week, and by routinely mentoring medical

students and residents.

Living a Dream to Help Others

(MS)2

In 2011, (MS)2 enrolled students from 17 states, 43 cities, and 12 Native American communities.

Christal Joy Forgenie, (MS)2 ’95Pediatrician Montefiore Medical CenterInducted into the Gold Humanism

Honor Society, which recognizes

medical students, residents,

and physician teachers for

“demonstrated excellence

in clinical care, leadership,

compassion and dedication to

service.”

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I don’t know of any program that is so devoted to underrepresented students of color.“ ”

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My best experiences were meeting people Ïom all over the country and meeting a lot of international students who became my good Ïiends. “ ”

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Shawn Pacheco says his largest challenge

at (MS)2 was the climate.

Shawn lives in New Mexico, where he’s

a student at the Santa Fe Indian School.

The humid New England summertime

weather took some adjusting, particularly

as his home region struggled through a

severe drought. But that one contrast

helped Shawn begin to understand that

there is “a whole new world outside the

reservation.”

Taking part in the program has helped

him become more focused in school;

he says his parents and teachers have

observed “that now I don’t give up right

away, and I finish everything I start. I have

learned to be organized, to be responsible

for my own work, and I have learned time

management through (MS)2.”

Shawn sees the change in himself, too:

“My hopes are building every second in

my academics,” he says with pride.

He has set his sights on a math and

engineering course in college and is

working confidently toward his goals.

Encountering a Whole New World

”

Shawn A. Pacheco, (MS)2 ’13Student Santa Fe Indian SchoolHe enjoyed the chemistry labs

that were part of (MS)2, but

found it was his English class

that stretched him most in new

directions.

(MS)2

58% of (MS)2 graduates attend the top 50 U.S. colleges.

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Venus Velez-Vann was raised in Manhattan,

but arriving at Andover showed her just how

insular her life and schooling had been.

“I loved being around kids who looked like

me and had similar backgrounds,” she says

of coming to (MS)2, “kids who were smart,

and shared many of the same goals.”

Like other attendees, Venus eagerly

embraced the challenge of the rigorous math

and science courses, but she also discovered

a new interest—politics and social justice

issues. Her time at (MS)2 also raised her

awareness of educational disparities related

to income, something that drives her on

school reform and family engagement.

Most significant—Venus realized that

she liked learning for learning’s sake. “It

changed my mindset from what I could do

to what I will do,” she says.

And Venus has done a lot: she helped

implement a program similar to (MS)2 in

Harlem high schools; its students have a

95% rate of graduation and placement

in 4-year colleges. She also worked to

end discriminatory practices in one NYC

district’s school admissions process.

Empowering an Education Reformer

(MS)2

Each summer, every student engages in 120 hours of intense math and science instruction.

Venus A. Velez-Vann, (MS)2 ’86Education ConsultantWorked with the NYC Department

of Education to open four new

high schools in a community that

desperately needed them

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(MS)² is so thoughtfully and skillfully designed—pooling together resources in a way that most programs are unable to do. “ ”

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Being Ïom New York CiÙ, I Ïequently encountered people Ïom countries with di◊erent cultures, but Andover presented the opportuniÙ to learn Ïom them.“ ”

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Arnold Principal was raised by his mother,

a Haitian immigrant, who worked two

jobs and pushed her children to excel

academically. Arnold was accepted to

the A Better Chance program at New

Canaan (Conn.) High School as a boarding

student after his first summer at (MS)2.

He says the extra academic focus during

his time at (MS)2 prepared him for the

year ahead, and his math, science, and

writing skills all improved. His mother

and teachers also noted changes in his

character—in his levels of self-confidence,

personal responsibility, and focus.

Arnold embraced the independent school

life: “I wore my ‘preppie’ status as a

badge of honor,” he says, “but I made

it clear to my friends at home that I was

not smarter or better—I’d just taken

advantage of an opportunity given to me.”

After graduating from Holy Cross, Arnold

spent time at Lehman Brothers and Bank of

Tokyo Mitsubishi before founding his own

firm, SYPCAP, which manages more than

$70 million in assets for high–net-worth

individuals and nonprofit organizations.

Learning to Excel in Academics and in Life

”

Arnold Principal, (MS)2 ’86Founder and CEO SYP Capital ManagementAt Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi,

he was part of a team that

managed more than $1.2 billion

in assets.

(MS)2 is a highly selective program— 8% of the applicants each year are accepted.

(MS)2

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At times, Jerisson De La Cruz wasn’t

convinced he’d be able to finish (MS)2

successfully, or whether it was even

worthwhile. Eventually, (MS)2 taught him

how the lessons he was learning were

applicable to his life.

“I was able to see myself as a student

of the world,” he says. “(MS)2 helps to

break through the limitations urban kids

have set for themselves and to move

forward in their lives and aspirations with

determination.”

During the program, Jerisson worked on

his college essay—comparing himself to

the iconic video game character Sonic the

Hedgehog.

“It was deconstructed, analyzed, and

reconstructed more times than I can

count,” he says, “but I could see my

whole development as a person over the

past three years in that paper.”

Jerisson is now pursuing a degree in game

design and development at the Rochester

Institute of Technology on scholarship.

Engineering a Promising Career

(MS)2

The dropout rate for students enrolled in (MS)2 is less than 1%.

Jerisson J. De La Cruz, (MS)2 ’11Student Rochester Institute of TechnologyAttended the Lawrence (Mass.)

Math, Science and Technology

Academy; plans to be a

professional game developer. He’s

also published poetry and written

in defense of his hometown in

online forums.

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÷ere were academic limitations for me, coming Ïom an urban public school. (MS)² gave me the opportuniÙ to go above and beyond those limitations. “ ”

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Be Part of this Extraordinary Program…Gifts from individuals, foundations, and corporations are essential to the

program’s day-to-day operations and the long-term financial health of (MS)2.

The annual budget of $700,000 covers the full cost of the participation of

approximately 110 scholars each summer—including round-trip travel

from their home states, room and board, and tuition for three summers—plus

the salaries and expenses of the director, faculty, and staff.

Building the (MS)2 endowment will ensure future generations of talented and

deserving young students access to this proven program.

A gift of $6,000 supports one scholar each summer.

A gift of $125,000 to the endowment supports one named student scholarship in perpetuity.

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(MS)2

Established in 2011, the (MS)2 Advisory Council provides strategic guidance to assure that the program stays consistent with its mission, and that it has adequate staffing and financial resources. In its first year, the council focused on strengthening alumni engagement.

Members

Advisory Council

Nicholas Vantzelfde ’97, ChairBoston, Massachusetts

Roy Adams, (MS)2 ’95New York, New York

Lawrence H. CurtisBoxford, Massachusetts

Joseph Goodman ’54Los Altos, California

Molly Keller ’89Burlington, Wisconsin

William M. Lewis Jr. ’74New York, New York

Louise MacMillanAndover, Massachusetts

David J. McGrath IIIAndover, Massachusetts

Donna Sanabria, (MS)2 ’87White Plains, New York

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180 Main StreetAndover MA 01810-4161

978-749-4402www.andover.edu/ms2

(MS)2