April 2009 Newsletter

BUILD Metro DC's Inaugural Showcase Events are a smashing success!

Showcases give BUILD E1 students a chance to practice their presentations in preparation for the Youth Business Plan Competitions. Read more about the BUILD Metro DC events here.

Staff Spotlight - Sarah Bloem, BUILD Peninsula Academic Program Manager

Sarah Bloem has been Academic Program Manager at BUILD Peninsula for two years. She tells us a little about herself here.

Student Spotlight - Adolfo G. from BUILD Oakland

Adolfo G. recently became the first BUILD student to win the prestigious Gates Millennium Scholarship, which promotes academic excellence and provides an opportunity for outstanding students of color with significant financial need to reach their highest potential. The program, established in 1999 and initially funded by a $1 billion grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, selected 1,000 students this year and will fund them through graduate school at the college or university of their choice. Read about Adolfo's BUILD experience here.

Spring Awards

Suzanne McKechnie Klahr, CEO and Founder of BUILD, received two special honors in March. Click here to read more about them.

A Special Offer from BUILD and the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC

For the past 17 years, the Kennedy Center has been home to Washington’s favorite springtime event, the Annual Kennedy Center Spring Gala. This year’s gala, A Celebration of Women in the Arts, will honor female artists who have forever shaped the global artistic landscape. This special evening takes place on May 3, and includes appearances and performances by some of the greatest stars of the stage, screen and beyond including: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Lisa Brescia, Stockard Channing, Jenn Colella, Judith Jamison, k.d. lang, Patti LaBelle, Annie Leibovitz, Audra McDonald, Reba McEntire, Amy Poehler, Dianne Reeves, LeAnne Rimes, Chita Rivera, Kathleen Turner and others, with the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by JoAnn Falletta.

Thanks to the Kennedy Center, BUILD is able to offer one very special package, including a pair of Prime Orchestra tickets to the gala performance and an invitation for two to the coveted, invite-only ‘Til Midnight Party, directly following the show! This exciting offer is being auctioned exclusively on eBay and we invite you to start your bidding…the auction will close on April 25th.

Best wishes and good luck! Click here to bid.

*100% of proceeds will benefit BUILD.

Upcoming Youth Business Plan Competitions!

BUILD's Youth Business Plan Competition (BPC) symbolizes the culmination of a year of hard work by our entrepreneurial ninth-grade students and their mentors. The students spend 6-8 hours a week throughout the school year with BUILD, learning the fundamentals of business, as well as management, organization and professional communication skills. At the BPC, students present their business plans to a panel of prestigious judges from the business and academic communities.

It's amazing to see the transformation our students have made in just one short school year! We hope you will join us for these moving and inspiring events.

10th Annual Peninsula Youth Business Plan Competition

Saturday, May 9, 2009
12:30PM - 4PM
Stanford University Graduate School of Business
Bishop Auditorium
518 Memorial Way
Stanford, CA

3rd Annual Oakland Youth Business Plan Competition

Saturday, May 30, 2009
12:30PM - 4PM
UC Berkeley Haas School of Business
Arthur Andersen Auditorium
2220 Piedmont Avenue
Berkeley, CA

Inaugural Metro DC Youth Business Plan Competition

Saturday, May 30, 2009 
12:30PM - 2PM
Georgetown University Law Center
600 New Jersey Avenue NW
Washington, DC