The culmination of each summer is graduation, the ceremony that celebrates the successful 2-year participation of our scholars in the Institute. This summer’s class included 20 young men from colleges and universities all over the United States. The scholars performed well in their classes, worked hard at their internships, participated in community services, learned from prominent leaders, and became contributing members of a network of high achievers that will endure throughout their adult lives.
The ceremony was held at the law firm Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP. The Institute’s president, William Keyes, opened the ceremony by offering a prayer, leading the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, and delivering welcoming remarks. Institute scholars led the singing of the National Anthem. Then, for the benefit of the assembled parents and supporters, Mr. Keyes discussed the mission of the Institute and stressed that the Institute’s most valuable asset is the outstanding young men who make up the ranks of current scholars and alumni.
After Mr. Keyes’ remarks, alumnus Steven Ward (’06, Virginia State University) took over as master of ceremonies. His first duty was to read the roll of the senior class. After he read each scholar’s bio, the scholar received his diploma from Mr. Keyes and Professor William Allen. Summer fellows Calvin Hadley, John Harper, and Chuck Redmond also embraced the scholars and welcomed them into the ranks of alumni. The graduating alumni are listed below
An Institute graduation tradition is the presentation of gifts. For one, the senior class selects one individual who had a great impact on them. The "Award for the American Ideal" was first presented to Mr. Keyes in 2004, sportscaster James Brown in 2005, presidential advisor Vernon Jordan in 2006, and Congressman John Lewis in 2007. The 2008 award was presented to Professor Allen. Senior Sean Mickens highlighted Professor Allen’s many contributions to the Institute and the influence that he has had and will continue to have in their lives. In addition to the bronze eagle that is given to award recipients, a pocket watch was presented to this year’s awardee.
The senior class also surprised Mr. Keyes with a football jersey bearing his name and the number he wore as a high school quarterback. The white jersey had blue lettering and numbers shadowed in red. All of the scholars signed the jersey with blue or red pens. Mr. Keyes told the senior class that he will frame the jersey and display it prominently in his office.
After the seniors presented gifts to the Summer Fellows, Mr. Keyes asked senior Barron Ryan (’08 University of Oklahoma) to perform his beat box routine for the audience. Then, Barron was joined by John Harper, Brandon Piper, Demetrius Lancaster and Jarvis McInnis in singing "Lift Every Voice and Sing." Then, the formal ceremony was adjourned and the assembled scholars and guests retired to an outer room for lunch.
Today's graduation was held in the 120-seat auditorium at the law firm, Dewey and Leboeuf LLP.
Maxine Baker, president of the African American Nonprofit Network and former president of the Freddie Mac Foundation, was joined by Edward Jones of the Council on Foundations for a discussion of topics to foundations and nonprofit organizations. They began the conversation with an overview of the purposes of foundations and nonprofits. Later in the session, Ms. Baker and Mr. Jones entertained questions, which ranged in topic from career opportunities at foundations to funding for projects to advice on how to develop and run effective nonprofit organizations.
Some of the Institute's scholars have established nonprofit organizations. For example, Anthony Phillips ('09, Bates College) co-founded the Youth Action Team, an organization that promotes civic awareness and responsibility among inner city youth. Mr. Phillips established the organization in his hometown, Philadelphia. Several other scholars have expressed interest in creating nonprofit organizations, working for community organizations, or working for large philanthropic foundations.
Accepting an invitation that Sheila Johnson extended during the junior class’ visit to the Washington Mystics game on July 8, twenty-four scholars drove to Middleburg, Virginia on Sunday morning to spend the day with Mrs. Johnson and see the construction site for her new resort and spa, Salamander Farm. When the group arrived in Middleburg, they were met by Mrs. Johnson and her husband, Bill Newman.
The day began with a view of the construction project from downtown Middleburg and a short drive onto the site. Prem Devadas, president of Salamander Hospitality, led the tour of the site and explained the effort they have undertaken to ensure that the project exceeds all of the specifications necessary to achieve 5-star status. During the visit to the site, Mr. Devadas told the scholars that of all the groups he had spoken to, these young men asked the most insightful questions.
After spending about an hour at the construction site, Mrs. Johnson provided lunch at Market Salamander on the main drag in Middleburg. She owns this establishment, which refers to itself as a “working chef’s market,” and treats its customers to the wonderful aromas of food being prepared in an open kitchen.
Next on the agenda was a visit to Salamander Farm, the home of Mrs. Johnson and Judge Newman. The couple graciously showed the scholars around their beautiful house and grounds. With such a large percentage of the scholars headed to law school, Mr. Keyes prevailed upon Judge Newman, the chief judge of the Arlington County Circuit Court, to speak with the scholars about law school, the legal profession and related topics. The judge also graced the group with a recitation from Othello.
After visiting the stables and Mrs. Johnson’s office, the scholars trekked back to Washington with the satisfaction of having spent a most enjoyable day in the country.
Kendrick Ashton, a director of the highly regarded New York firm Perella Weinberg Partners, traveled to Washington this weekend to teach the scholars about investment banking and alternative asset management.
Mr. Ashton’s comprehensive lecture was accompanied by an illuminating Power Point presentation. He discussed Wall Street in general, the culture of many financial firms, and the work life of a young investment banker. He also explained, step by step, the work that is required to complete corporate mergers and acquisitions. Throughout his presentation, he was interrupted for questions from the scholars, who demonstrated considerable interest in high finance.
The scholars gained valuable information that will help them in their careers and their personal lives.
About 20 of the scholars visited the law firm Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP to learn about the firm from the managing partner of the Washington office, Jonathan H. Talcott, and counsel Ron Thomas. Talcott talked with the students about the firm, its locations and its practice specialties. He also talked with them about the process of applying and interviewing with law firms and the requirements placed on first year lawyers.
Thomas, who recently joined the firm after leaving a position as Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U. S. Department of Agriculture, talked with the students about his work at the firm. He also talked about the necessity of lawyers being good a business development.
Last night, the scholars joined Institute supporter John Schell for a tour of the Jacob Lawrence exhibit at the Phillips Collection, the first museum of modern art. Jacob Lawrence, a renowned African American painter who spent his career chronicling the history and struggles of African Americans, gained notoriety from his sixty-painting narrative entitled "Migration of the Negro." These paintings portray the journey of hundreds of thousands of African Americans migrating from the south to northern cities to find work and escape Jim Crow.
Due to the size of the collection, very few people have viewed the entire collection all at once. With the help of Mr. Schell, the Institute scholars were given the privilege of seeing this important and relevant work.
Besides the high-level internships, intimate discussions with influential leaders, and the rigorous coursework, the Institute aims to introduce the scholars to a variety of enriching cultural experiences that will help them to network with future employers and peers.
Over lunch, Leila Thompson, Micah Smith, Aditya Bamzai, and Damien Williams engaged Institute scholars in a candid discussion on the legal profession and federal judicial clerkships. The three lunch hosts are clerks for Associate Justices of the United States Supreme Court. Though the clerks did not discuss particular cases that have come before the Court, they offered insight into the day-to-day tasks and experiences that law clerks have while assisting justices in the writing of opinions.
The clerks went into great detail about their interactions with their respective justices, the interview process, and their professional aspirations. Even though each of their experiences differed, they each emphasized the importance of critical thinking and the ability to attack an issue from all sides.
Although the law clerks admitted that most law clerks work at private law firms after completing their clerkship, they all spoke about the importance of working on issues that are most important to them.
This evening, Dr. Paula Warrick, the director of American University’s Office of Merit Awards, shared information about a variety of national scholarship and fellowship opportunities. Dr. Warrick not only provided a list of scholarships and fellowships to the scholars, she also gave advice on the most effective ways to submit competitive applications.
Current scholars who have won competitive scholarships and fellowships such as the Truman Scholarship and the Mellon-Mays Fellowship also gave advice on how to produce an exceptional application for highly coveted academic awards. This year, several Institute scholars will apply for several prestigious undergraduate and graduate scholarships. The most notable are the Truman, Fulbright, and Rhodes Scholarships.
The Institute appreciates the help of Ann Hamilton and Dr. Chris Swanson of the Office of Merit Awards for helping Institute staff organize this presentation.
The senior class was given the tremendous opportunity of participating in a roundtable discussion with General Colin L. Powell. The meeting took place at his office in Alexandria, Virginia. During the hour-long session, the scholars were able to ask General Powell about his career, international affairs, and the importance of public service. He also discussed the upcoming elections, the economy, and the war in Iraq. While discussing the various topics, he made a point of talking about the importance of leadership, and the influence that leaders have, especially on people who suffer from injustice and inequality.
Early this morning, the senior class traveled to New York City to enjoy a weekend of fun with the KPMG scholars. After checking into their hotel, the scholars put on sits and headed over to the third annual Pipeline Crisis/Winning Strategies Forum, an initiative that brings to together preeminent leaders from the legal, financial, government, academic, and human services fields to discuss solutions to the social and economic problems faced by African American men. While there, students had engaging discussions with leaders from all sectors. Not only did the seniors hear new strategies that are being employed to help their peers, they also were given the opportunity to share their experiences and provide recommendations on how to solve the problems that black male youth face.
On Saturday, the senior class met up with Institute Trustee member, Kendrick Ashton and the KPMG scholars for an afternoon in Harlem. The students visited the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, a research library that is nationally recognized for documenting the experiences of people of African descent. Schomburg staff gave the scholars a tour of the Schomburg Center as well as providing them with history of the center, and the role it plays in Harlem.
After enjoying a night in New York City, the scholars woke up on Sunday morning to go on the Cirlce Line Tour, a river cruise around lower Manhattan. On the cruise, the scholars saw the Statue of Liberty, the Financial District Governor’s Island, Ellis Island, and United Nations.
Later that night, the scholars said their farewells to the KPMG scholars and returned home to Washington to share their experiences with the junior class.
The Institute hosted its first fundraising event this evening at the historic Stephen Decatur House on Lafayette Square. All of the Institute’s scholars and local alumni were present in the Decatur House courtyard to greet guests, who had been invited to the event by Institute trustees. The lovely setting was ideal for informal conversation between the scholars and guests. Food and beverage were also served in the courtyard.
After about 90 minutes of mingling, everyone went indoors, where they were treated to an hour-long musical performance by five scholars and alumni. Barron Ryan (’08, University of Oklahoma), accompanied the singers and performed a piano piece that he had written. John Harper (’07, Oberlin College), Clarence Mitchell (’08, University of Maryland), David Wilford (’07, LaSalle University), and Brandon Piper (’08 DePauw University) sang individually and as a group.
The event was underwritten by the Lynde & Harry Bradley Foundation, which provided a generous grant to sponsor the Institute’s 5th Anniversary celebration. Other sponsors included Epstein Becker & Green PC, Foley & Lardner LLP, Schering-Plough Corporation, the Triad Foundation, Dezenhall Resources, Marathon Oil, the Community Financial Services Association, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, and SoBran Inc. Individual sponsors included Mr. Earl W. Stafford, Mr. Christopher Cowan, Mr. Cliff Hancock and Mrs. Bonnie Wagman, Mr. Paul C. Harris, Dr. Andrea and Dr. Leslie Kingslow, Mr. John T. Schell and Mrs. Anna Bruce, Mr. Frank R. Walker, Mr. Alvin Williams, and Mr. & Mrs. William A. Keyes.Each summer since the Institute’s founding, Congressman John Lewis has welcomed the junior class into his office for a candid discussion of the Civil Rights movement and the impact that it had on all Americans. As always, Congressman Lewis spent more time with the scholars than was scheduled. Last summer, he spoke with the junior class for four hours. This year, he did the same. Even though his staff attempted to pull him away, he refused to leave the scholars until he had finished telling his inspiring stories about the Civil Rights Movement and the days he spent with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The scholars listened attentively as they ate peanuts and drank Coca Cola from Congressman John Lewis’s home state. After finishing his stories of the March on Selma, he allowed the scholars to watch a video that chronicled the Civil Rights Movement before showing them the vast array of photographs of some of America’s best known heroes.
After four hours of eating and story-telling, Congressman John Lewis was pulled away to take a vote on the House Floor, but before leaving he took pictures with all of the scholars.
This evening, the junior class watched a thrilling come-from-behind 50-48 victory by the Washington Mystics over the Indiana Fever of the WNBA. The scholars, seated together in the lower section of the Verizon Center, were seen dancing and cheering on the big screen several times during the latter stages of the game, as the Mystics were staging their comeback.
The real purpose of the visit to the Verizon Center was to meet the team’s owner, Sheila Johnson. Mrs. Johnson hosted the scholars in the owner’s suite before the game. She spoke with them about her career in business, beginning with the co-founding of BET. She discussed the development and ultimate sale of the company and her subsequent ventures as the first African American female owner of a professional sports franchise. She also discussed her purchase of a PGA tour golf course and her current work at building a 5-star resort and spa in Middleburg, Virginia.
Today, alumni arrived in Washington, DC to celebrate the Institute’s sixth alumni weekend. After checking into their rooms at American University, they joined the current scholars at Ascension, networking event established during the summer of 2005 by Institute scholars who wanted to bring together interns working in Washington for a night of fun. At Ascension, alumni had the chance to reconnect with fellow alums while at the same time networking with current scholars and their guests.
On Friday morning, alumni held their second alumni board meeting where they elected the first board to the Alumni Association. After the board was elected the alumni began strategize how they planned to demonstrate their support for the program. From this discussion, alumni agreed to raise money for the program’s general support while also mentoring and recruiting scholars.
Later on in the afternoon, alumni, scholars, and staff traveled to Bon Air Park in Arlington, VA for a barbeque. While there, current scholars and alumni held a tennis and basketball tournament.
On Saturday, alumni and scholars met again for a group discussion led by Mr. Bill Keyes. In the discussion, Mr. Keyes delivered a speech, in which he highlighted the importance of building strong bonds between alumni and scholars. He stated that the program cannot sustain itself without the support of its participants. The lecture was followed by dinner, in which the Institute’s friends were invited to join the scholars and alumni for good food, games, and casual conversation.
On Sunday morning, current scholars and the alumni attended the Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, VA, the home church of Mr. Keyes. After listening to an inspiring sermon, the scholars joined Mr. Keyes and staff for an afternoon dinner where current and former scholars came together one last time to share their favorite memories from the weekend.