Achieve Hartford! was simultaneously sad and excited last week to say goodbye to Chief Development and Branding Officer Mary Crean, who after more than three years at AH!, is moving on to become the vice president of marketing and resource development at the United Way of Central and Northeastern CT.  Her contributions to our organization have been tremendous.

Achieve Hartford! staff and board members are grateful for Mary’s dedication to our mission – and are excited that she will continue to bring her talents to bear on the neediest children and families in our region.  Few know nonprofit marketing and development like Mary does, and few have the track record of success she does.

Mary, we wish you the best of success in your new endeavors, and can’t wait to see all the good things that come when you spread your wings.  Thanks from the team at Achieve Hartford! and all of our partners.

The Voices of Hartford Success project annually showcases students’ stories on how they rise through daunting life circumstances to triumph over childhood challenges and demonstrate how to leverage education for success.  The stories this year are quite remarkable and we’ve snapshotted three below to give you a taste.

“Through the Career Beginnings college access program, we see countless college essays every year,” according to Martin Estey, executive director of the Hartford Consortium for Higher Education, who spearheads this project.  “The Voices project is a chance to share these stories of determination and aspiration to a larger community. You just cannot hear these words and remain untouched.

“The questions are, what can we do as a community to hold up our end?  How can we come together to ensure that students such as these, who have worked so hard in the face of such steep obstacles, continue to be successful?” he asked.  “In Hartford we are working with several other stakeholders through our Coalition for Education and Talent to coordinate our efforts and maximize our impact. Whether you are touched by the individual stories you hear or simply understand that the economic vitality of this state and region depends on a well-educated workforce, we all have a stake in the future success of these young, aspirational, hard-working young people.”

As a student writing project focused on the strength, persistence, and resilience of Hartford youth, celebrating their triumphs over childhood challenges, Voices is a collaboration between The Hartford Consortium for Higher Education, the Hartford School District, the City of Hartford, Aetna (and several private individuals committed to and inspired by the youth of Hartford).  It invites students to submit their college and scholarship essays, which tend to highlight extraordinary commitment and drive.  The goal of Voices, according to its website, is “to show that the youth of Hartford are resilient, goal-oriented, and successful even in the face of often serious obstacles.”

Here are snapshots of the trajectories of this year’s honorees:

• Grecia Aldovar.

Arriving with her brothers and father at her aunt’s house, she understood she was visiting the U.S. on a vacation with her brothers and father, only to learn they were staying, even though her mom had remained back in Peru.  Living with a stepmother and a new family, she was initially confused – but decided to stay and turned her attention to school in Hartford, where she has earned high honors, student-of-the-month awards, and taken part in many school activities.  Looking to study psychology in college, she is determined not to waste her opportunities.  “Now that I notice all my accomplishments, I feel amazing,” she wrote.  “I never knew how strong I was, until being strong was my only option in this competitive world.”

• Alana Andrews.

Coming from Ukraine, she grew up during days when she did not eat; was forced to leave at age six along with her 18-month-old sister when her mother told her, in court, “Let go.”  Her “shooting star” arrived with new adoptive parents, who she tributes with taking her pain and responsibility away, allowing her to be a child.  Transforming obstacles into opportunities, not knowing a word of English until the age of nine, she started school at the end of Third Grade and has progressed to graduate Hartford Trinity Magnet College Academy, already having had courses at Trinity College and serving as a class representative and National Honor Society member.  “Half of my life,” she reflects, “I have spent being held hostage from learning, and now, when given the opportunity, I take advantage of it striving for the ‘American Dream.’”

• Khalil Bradley.

He came up in a household where the State Department of Children and Families funneled him, at age 10 (plus his sister) through different foster homes, “packing and unpacking, leaving and arriving.”  After several weeks, his aunt stepped up to adopt the children.  Yet “if it was not for my experience with instability in my early life I would not be the same person,” he wrote.  In his case, he dealt with instability by reading, drawing upon times when his mother read to him, even verbally interpreting pictures before he could read.  His commitment is that he does not want his future family to go through what he did.  A graduate of the Law & Government Academy at Hartford Public High School, he has developed a vivid imagination and vast vocabulary – and a determination to pursue his education.  “Beyond myself and my family, I am driven to go to college to help fight instability everywhere.”

If you want to read the essays yourself, you’re in luck!  They are being compiled into a book by the Hartford Consortium for Higher Education, to be published very soon.  Let us know if we should get you a copy when it’s ready, and we’ll be happy to facilitate. Drop us a note here.

The Bottom Line.  The students honored by Voices of Hartford Success send a strong beacon to advocates and students alike.  Countless young people are forged by dire circumstances, steeled for the world ahead by the hardships they have seen too early in life – and overcome, beating the odds.  The lesson for students, of course, is that they can change their trajectories by refusing to fail.  The lesson for advocates is that we can – and we must – make success more accessible to more of the most at-risk youth.

Members of the Hartford Board of Education and strong community voices alike Tuesday evening expressed their appreciation, not to say reverence, for Dr. José Colón-Rivas, the City official and Board vice chair whom Superintendent Beth Schiavino-Narvaez has selected to serve as her chief operating officer.  To say that his vote of approval was unanimous Tuesday night is an understatement.

Many local leaders and advocates who often take issue with District actions nonetheless spoke in glowing terms Tuesday about Dr. Colón-Rivas.  The meeting video shows how many.

“There may be no one in this city that I respect and admire more than José,” Board Chair Richard Wareing said, adding that the new COO exemplifies professionalism and integrity – and that no one is more qualified, trusted and respected.

Dr. Narvaez pointed to the 27-year local experience of the new Hartford COO, who has served as a teacher, the Hartford Public High School principal who led its re-accreditation effort, City Director of the Department of Families, Children, Youth & Recreation, and vice chair of the Board.  One of the reasons she asked him to take the post, Dr. Narvaez said, was “the depth and breadth of his connections.”  Her press release said she was “thrilled” he was joining her staff.

In transitioning to the District, Dr. Colón-Rivas resigned his seat on the Board of Education, leaving his committee posts as well.  Board Chair Wareing Tuesday named Board Member Beth Taylor to take over for him as chair of the School Choice and Facilities Committee and Board Member Tiffany Glanville to replace him as head of the Human Resources Committee.  Moreover, the Board elected Ms. Glanville to the Board’s vice-chair post that Dr. Colón-Rivas formerly held.

Dr. Colón-Rivas will be asked to take on some duties formerly handled by the District chief of staff; this is just one of the new Venn diagram overlaps of necessary activities into a smaller senior Cabinet.  It is down from 10 to six people, due to the presently harsh fiscal conditions.  Here’s the full memo regarding central office reorganization, which contains the following explanatory information: