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BEAM Newsletter, Summer 2020: BEAM graduates, National Initiative, and more.
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Dear Readers,

The last few months have been challenging for BEAM students and families, many of whom have been hard hit by the pandemic and deeply affected by the killing of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and others. The work to be done to change the society we live in is immense because the change that is required is deep. In the face of such entrenched challenges, we know the part that BEAM can play is small. Nonetheless, we are determined to play that part because our students deserve the best we can do. We hope you will join us. Read BEAM's response, including our plans and suggested resources to learn and get involved.
BEAM Online Summer Programs Begin
BEAM Discovery and Summer Away have launched in Los Angeles and will begin soon in New York. This summer for the first time, summer programs are taking place online. We are so excited to see our students dive into deep and interesting math and fun activities! A HUGE shout-out to BEAM faculty and alumni who stepped up two months ago to help us plan for the summer: Your expertise has been invaluable, your dedication incredible. We definitely couldn't do it without you!

News from week 1: The first week wasn't without its technology challenges, but when we asked students, How is BEAM going for you? You can answer however you'd like :), students overwhelmingly told us things were going great. One student wrote: "I love it! The classes are very rigorous but are super fun. In fact when I go to sleep I always think 'Dang, I can't wait for my classes tomorrow.' Thank you all for your hard work!"

Check out BEAM on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for news throughout the summer.
BEAM to Launch New National Initiative
BEAM has received a $3.5 million grant to reach students from low-income and historically marginalized communities nationally. The BEAM National Initiative will work with local partners (school districts, community groups, and individuals) to reach students in 3rd-5th grades. The program will provide Art of Problem Solving's Beast Academy curriculum (a math program for elementary students) at no cost to participants. The program will be run as a pilot for the first three years to test what approaches work best and begin to scale-up successful models. We're incredibly excited about the possibilities of reaching more students and younger students nationwide. More details soon!
BEAM Students Are on Their Way

College decisions are looking a little different this year and there is a great deal of uncertainty about what the fall holds. But we want to say a huge congratulations to BEAM high school seniors who have earned spots at great colleges. To our seniors: You are amazing and we are so proud as we watch you navigate these momentous decisions! 
 
MANY CONGRATS are in order to BEAM students who were awarded numerous scholarships and strong financial aid packages including:

ALBERTO (University of Wisconsin-Madison), ISABELLA (Vanderbilt), and JOHNATHAN (Wheaton), who were named POSSE SCHOLARS. Posse provides selected students with full scholarships.

ESTEEVEN (Columbia) and YOHELY (Wesleyan), who received full-ride scholarships through the QUESTBRIDGE NATIONAL COLLEGE MATCH PROGRAM.

JENNORA (Brown), who received a GATES SCHOLARSHIP.
BEAM students were accepted to many great colleges, including: 
  • Amherst
  • Barnard
  • Brown
  • Columbia
  • City University of New York
  • Harvard
  • Howard
  • Georgetown
  • New York University
  • Spelman
  • State University of New York
  • Tufts
  • Vassar
  • Wesleyan
  • University of Chicago
  • And many more!
Read the full list of schools and more here

Snap! Snap! A shout-out to BEAM's first college graduates

We want to give a huge congratulations to BEAM students Fatimatou, Franklin, Ilearys, Mirai, Quentin, Raissa, Tejaswee,  Wilson, and Zavier, who were part of the VERY FIRST BEAM COHORT in 2011 and are now graduating from college! 

This is a monumental moment for our students and also for BEAM. Though we never could have imagined the circumstances that would attend this graduation and though uncertainty seems to be the only constant of the past few months, one thing we know for sure is that we couldn't be more proud of you.

You've come so far and grown so much! Thank you for letting us be a part of your journey so far; we can't wait to see what you will accomplish next!
 
"BEAM has been by my side throughout my education journey in this country, through middle school, high school, and college. They are like my second family. They helped me get into the great college that I graduated from, Manhattan College. Throughout my time there they supported me with my math classes such as calculus. BEAM also assisted me professionally by offering me the chance to work with them and give back to the younger BEAM students during the summers. I appreciate BEAM for always being there for me and advising me through this journey! Thank you!"
- Fatimatou

Fatimatou, graduating senior,
Manhattan College

 
Zavier, graduating senior, State University of New York at Albany
 
"Overall, my college experience was pretty different than what I expected. There were many times that things did not go as I planned, but those events really helped me mature and change my perspective on my work and my interest. I also learned the importance of having people around you that share the same interest. Sometimes opinions may differ, however I saw how differences in ideas may lead to better ones. From learning how to work around roadblocks and work with others, I was able to enjoy my experience. I was able to let go of expectations on how I wanted things to go and started using what I had to reach my goals."
- Zavier
Read more of Zavier's insights about his college experience

Staff Picks

BEAM staff members suggest informative (and fun) things to read, watch, listen to, play... and more.
BEAM RECOMMENDS:
Mental Health Resource Round-up
May was Mental Health Awareness Month, and mental health has never been more relevant as a global pandemic and systemic injustice continue to take a toll on the physical and mental health of communities of color. At BEAM, we chose to focus on mental health for the month of May across our social media platforms to spread awareness and share support. We covered topics from grief and trauma to self-care and coping. We posted infographics, articles, and videos from BEAM staff and students. This quarantine has been a very tough time; we wanted to tackle it together in a meaningful way. Now that May is over, we've collected the resources we shared into a blogpost for our readers. Please share with others and be well!
SYLVIA RECOMMENDS:
Finding a therapist!
Throughout much of my life, I was raised to be an "independent" woman -  someone who could manage life on her own. Twenty-ish years later and I am proud to say that I have realized that isn't always healthy. One big resource that has helped me during quarantine is attending weekly sessions with a professional therapist. I have been able to ease my anxiety and grief while unpacking and addressing my past traumas.


 
For anyone thinking about whether they should start the journey that is therapy, I recommend it wholeheartedly. Having a non-judgmental and objective space to process feelings and heal from past traumas is very important. - Sylvia

If Sylvia's experience resonates with you and you would like to find a culturally conscious mental health practitioner, here are a few places to find therapists and resources specifically aimed at Black and Latinx communities: Melanin and Mental Health, Therapy for Latinx, and Therapy for Black Girls.
Sylvia is BEAM's High School Programs Coordinator. She worked with BEAM for three summers before joining  full time in 2016. Most recently, Sylvia has started a holistic socio-emotional support system for students and families.

... And Now for Some Math

Here’s a math game you can play while keeping up social distancing. Find someone to play with and read on.

The game:

You are given $20, and you must guess a whole number between 1 and 700. For each incorrect guess you make, you must pay $1, and then you are told if you were over or under the correct number. If you guess the number, you get to keep the money you have left. 

Challenge 1: Can you guarantee a profit on this game? What's the greatest profit you can guarantee even if you are very unlucky on your guesses?

A twist:

You are playing the same game as before, except now it has a twist: each time you guess, you pay $1 if you were under the correct number, but you pay $2 if you were over the correct number!

Challenge 2: Now can you guarantee a profit on the game? What's the greatest profit you can guarantee even if you are very unlucky?  

Read the solution here
A huge THANK YOU to everyone who has stepped up to support BEAM students and families recently with donations to the Emergency Relief Fund and to BEAM programs. You make our work possible!
 
Donate to BEAM
Copyright © 2020 Bridge to Enter Advanced Mathematics, All rights reserved.


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