We are excited to announce an amazing opportunity to join A²MEND board members in traveling abroad to the University of Cape Coast, Ghana to participate in a momentous academic-based All African Diaspora Education Summit from September 19-24, 2022.

This historic summit promises to be a profound professional development opportunity for African American educational professionals to understand both the historic and current educational context that will create the space and freedom to reimagine how we teach and serve Black students. Moreover, this convening will seek to heal, restore and invigorate African Americans who have experienced the weight of working in spaces that have caused harm due to anti-Blackness and racism.

This summit will attract educational practitioners, preeminent scholars and administrators from across the globe. California’s community colleges serve the highest number of Black students in the state. Thus, our voices need to be present and centered in this global conversation.

Attendees will need to secure a tourist visa for this trip, which adds additional timing to the travel process. Your passport must be sent to the Ghanaian Embassy in Washington, D.C. within 7-20 business days, depending on if it is expedited. This means that you will not have access to your passport during this time; so if you have travel plans that will require use of your passport, you should plan accordingly. More travel preparation information can be found here: https://ghanaembassydc.org/visa/

To learn more about this incredible summit, please visit A2MEND.ORG and click on the summit flyer, which will direct you to the summit’s information page.

We hope to see you at this incredible summit!

Last summer, A²MEND resumed its Africa Study Abroad Program, where executive board members accommodate a group of student mentees to Africa to visit their ancestral homeland. This July, A²MEND’s leadership plans to escort another group of Leadership Academy students to Kenya as part of this annual cultural excursion. The trip is a life changing experience for the students, as it profoundly connects them to their historical homeland of Africa. To support A²MEND’s Africa Study Abroad Program, please Donate Now.

A²MEND’s leadership congratulates one of their longtime student mentees, Temesghen “Temie” Ghde, for his acceptance to Harvard Kennedy School. Ghde will realize his dream of attending Harvard this fall as part of his post-graduate plans to earn joint degrees in law and public policy. Ghde’s successful educational path is a testament to the mission of A²MEND, which seeks to foster institutional change in California’s community college system by operating a mentoring program for African American male students.

“We at A²MEND are tremendously proud of Temie’s acceptance at Harvard. His acceptance demonstrates to our students that nothing is impossible if you’re committed to academic excellence and hard work,” said Dr. Amanuel Gebru, President of A²MEND. “Temie’s brilliance and tenacity to stay the course as a top performing undergraduate student has enabled him to fulfill his vision of attending Harvard in his quest to work in law and public policy.”

Ghde first learned about A²MEND while attending a community college in Oakland, where a professor introduced him to the organization’s student mentoring program. He was drawn by the supportive resources and the confidence building methods of the organization. Throughout his undergraduate years, he was matched with Dr. Gebru as his A²MEND mentor, who remained steadfast in encouraging him to press forward with his ambitious educational plans. “The morale boost that A²MEND provides to African American students is amazing,” said Ghde. “No matter how big or small, I appreciated their efforts to give financially through their scholarship contributions.”

Ghde’s road to Harvard wasn’t an easy one. Raised in Eritrea, Africa, Ghde endured hardships early in his life. Following his graduation from high school, Ghde was unable to study his chosen field of law in college because his country’s educational system required him to major in engineering as a result of him testing well in physics and math on his matriculation exam. After studying civil engineering for three years and completing his national service, Ghde eventually moved to the U.S. in his resolve to leave Eritrea to follow his educational goals.

 A year after his arrival in the U.S., Ghde enrolled in Laney College upon settling in Northern California. Determined to succeed against all odds as a new asylee in the U.S., he remained vigilant in his educational pursuits to study law and public policy. During his studies at Laney College, he served as President of the Laney Law Society. Soon after receiving his associate’s degree from Laney College, he attended UC Berkeley, where he graduated with a degree in political science, specializing in comparative politics.

Envisioning to ultimately earn a law degree to one day serve the people of his home country, Ghde applied to leading universities to position him for that endeavor. With an impressive GPA along with his extracurricular accomplishments, including a congressional internship on Capitol Hill and a prestigious study abroad program at Bocconi University in Milan, Italy, he applied to Harvard as well as the University of Oxford. Less than three months later, he received the extraordinary news about his acceptance to Harvard.

While Ghde’s sheer intellect and perseverance led him to Harvard, he is grateful to A²MEND for providing him with the mentorship and scholarship funding that helped support him throughout his undergraduate journey.

The A²MEND board is proud to announce that 13 student mentees graduated from college this past spring. Several students who graduated with an associate’s degree are moving on to a four-year college, while others who graduated with a bachelor’s degree are continuing their education through a master’s program or have already started their careers. Regardless of their future pursuits, the students are grateful to A²MEND for their mentoring support and inspiring them to succeed during their undergraduate experience.

Jason Haskins is one of the graduates who has expressed immense gratitude for A²MEND’s mentoring support. Haskins, a magna cum laude graduate of Arizona State University, first learned about A²MEND at a time when he needed it most. Weeks after getting laid off from his job, Haskins found himself living out of his car. With a young daughter to support, he decided to go to college to position himself for better career opportunities. After enrolling in Diablo Valley College, he met Dr. Eric Handy, who encouraged him to get involved in A²MEND. His connections through the organization helped him land a student job as an assistant to the college’s president. When Haskins eventually shared about his homelessness, his mentor Dr. Terrence Elliott graciously opened up his home for him to live there as he worked toward his degree.

While carrying a full academic load and working at the college, Haskins took on a second job as an Uber driver. Once he earned his associate’s degree, he transferred to Arizona State University upon receiving an Uber scholarship that paid for his full tuition. Haskins, who is continuing his education at ASU by pursuing a master’s degree in organizational leadership, plans to use his education to one day work in construction management to help builders develop affordable housing for homeless and low-income individuals. “I appreciate A²MEND for filling the void of fellowship for Black students,” said Haskins, who now is also a father to an infant son. “Organizations like A²MEND are what’s needed in our community.”

Another student mentee who is thankful for A²MEND’s presence is Cesar Orozco, who graduated with an associate’s degree in social work from Moreno Valley College. Orozco heard about A²MEND through a college counselor during his freshman year. “I was going through a lot of personal struggles and stress at the time,” he said. “I had hoped that A²MEND would help me change my life, which it did. They helped me feel like I could break free from my situation.” Today, Orozco is headed to UC Santa Barbara to study sociology. His career aspiration is to become a college counselor to help support students with similar struggles that he endured. “I want to help other students by giving them a second chance with the opportunity of an education.”

Student mentee Zaire Prewitt, who made the Dean’s List as a graduate from Moorpark College, believes that A²MEND influenced him to persevere in his studies and campus activism. Diagnosed with ADHD at an early age, Prewitt said that the stigma of the diagnosis often made him doubt himself. His sensitivity to learning led him to become a tutor for a nonprofit that mentors African American elementary and middle school students. Observing his interest in supporting students of color, one of his professors recommended that he become involved with A²MEND’s student chapter. Within months of joining the organization, he participated in A²MEND’s Study Abroad Program, where board members annually accompany student mentees on an excursion to Africa. “Going to Africa was a holistic experience,” said Prewitt. “It helped me learn how to become more patient with myself and be prepared for opportunities when they arise.” Once he returned to college as a sophomore, Prewitt put those self-discoveries into action by becoming vice president and later president of A²MEND’s student chapter while also serving as secretary of the college’s Black Student Union. “A²MEND helped me build confidence in myself,” said Prewitt, who plans to transfer to Whittier College to study marketing. “The board members of A²MEND believed in me.”

The full list A²MEND student mentees who graduated this past spring are:

Arnett Belton – Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from California State University, Sacramento.

Xzavier Boykin – Associate of Arts degree in Communications from Diablo Valley College. Transferring to Morehouse College.

Amofah Brobbey – Bachelor of Arts degree in Ethnic Studies from California State University, Sacramento.

Terry Conklin – Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from California State University, Long Beach. Continuing to a Master’s Program.

Jason Haskins – Bachelor of Arts degree in Organizational Leadership at Arizona State University. Continuing to a Master’s Program.

Golden Hicks – Associate of Arts degree in Psychology from Antelope Valley College. Transferring to California State University, Bakersfield.

Charles Long – Associate of Arts degree in Sociology from Moreno Valley College. Transferring to University of California, Berkeley.

Damonik Milan – Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from California State University, Sacramento.

Malcolme Morgan – Bachelor of Arts degree in Social & Behavioral Science from San Diego State University. Continuing to a Master’s Program.

Cesar Orozco – Associate of Arts degree in Social Work from Moreno Valley College. Transferring to University of California, Santa Barbara.

Zaire Prewitt – Associate of Arts degree in General Studies from Moorpark College. Transferring to Whittier College.

Sharif Sivad – Associate of Arts degree in Business from Pasadena City College. Transferring to University of California, Berkeley.

Lebert Young – Associate of Arts degree in General Science from Solano Community College. Transferring to San Francisco State University.