LASTING IMPACT: ALUMNI SUCCESS

Maria Lawson

DC Prep ’07 | Benjamin Banneker High School ’11 Gettysburg College ’15

Maria had been attending her neighborhood elementary school when her mother came to visit her classroom one day in fourth grade. What Sue Lawson saw shocked her.

“It was basically a zoo,” Maria said. “There was a lot going on at the school that she didn’t feel comfortable with, and she started thinking about whether this was the safest, best school for her child.”

By chance, Maria’s mother ran into someone at the grocery store who was recruiting students for DC Prep. “My mom was skeptical, but after she went to an information session, she was sold.”

Once at DC Prep, Maria began to thrive. “I was deathly shy,” Maria said. “Going into new situations was never easy for me. But DC Prep quickly became home to me. I loved the principal and my teachers and all of my friends, and I created really strong bonds early on.” To her mom, that sense of community made the biggest difference. “She knew I’d do well academically anywhere I went, but because I was so shy and quiet, she knew it’d be easy for me to fall under the radar. She wanted me to be seen and have people care about me. My mom could see that I was happy at DC Prep and that I was coming out of my shell here.”

Maria went on to attend the International Baccalaureate (IB) program at Benjamin Banneker High School in DC, and then to Gettysburg College on a four-year, fullride scholarship. Despite always being a stellar student, her transition to college was challenging.

“I wasn’t used to being in a community where no one really looked like me,” Maria said. “And I wasn’t the smartest kid in the class anymore. It was the first time I struggled in my classes. At the time, I didn’t know how to connect with anyone on campus, how to find resources, who to ask about financial aid…I was very overwhelmed.

“My PrepNext counselor, Lindsay Fallon, happened to reach out to me at that time, and I told her about everything that was going on. Right then, over the phone, we walked through each of the issues I’d been struggling with, and we created an action plan to connect me with the resources I needed. After that, I connected with the Dean of Multicultural Resources, who became my mentor; I signed up for tutoring sessions; I talked with the Financial Aid Office; and I set up work-study. That one call with my PrepNext counselor was so important to my college experience.”

For most of college, Maria’s post-grad plans were to work for the Internal Revenue Service, where she had completed several summer internships. But going into her senior year, something changed.

“I remembered my PrepNext experience and thought, ‘I’m so lucky. These were the best four years of my life, and I almost didn’t complete it, if not for my PrepNext check-in.’ I started discussing this with my new PrepNext counselor, and he asked me what I wanted to do after college. I told him I wanted to do for other students what Lindsay had done for me. Before I knew it, I was interviewing with DC Prep and I ended up coming to work at DC Prep as a PrepNext counselor.” Maria was a counselor on PrepNext’s high school team for five years before moving to the Development & Communications team.

When asked why she continues to work at DC Prep, Maria replied, “I love the people. That’s my favorite part of the job. Not everyone is lucky enough to work with people who genuinely share the same values. I’m very blessed to work here, because even in the hardest moments, I know that everyone is here for our students.”

Jose Noble

DC Prep ’14 | St. Albans School ’18

Drew University ’22

When Jose’s mother immigrated to the U.S. in 2008 from the Philippines, she immediately began preparing for the day her children would join her in two short years.

“She found this little charter school by her house,” Jose recalled, “and when I came to the U.S. in 2010, DC Prep became my home.”

As recent immigrants, navigating the American education system could be intimidating—but DC Prep put the Nobles at ease. “The faculty treated us like family,” Jose said. “Not only were they teaching me, they were also mentoring me and really getting to know and support the student that I was. And every day when we were leaving school, our principal, Mrs. Severn [who is now our Chief Academic Officer!], would wait outside the door and say goodbye to the kids and talk with the parents.”

After graduating from DC Prep, Jose matriculated to St. Albans School, a prestigious private school in DC. “DC Prep prepared me well,” Jose said. “I was assigned my first research paper in sixth grade, and our teacher drilled into us the process of writing a research paper. When I got to ninth grade at St. Albans and we had to write a research paper, some of the other students weren’t prepared for this kind of academic rigor—but I was.”

In college at Drew University, Jose majored in political science. He credits DC Prep for fostering his interest in this area of study. “Every morning at DC Prep, they’d give us a worksheet on current events, or would have us read a news article for homeroom. It shaped my passion for equity and social justice.”

Today, with his bachelor’s degree in hand, Jose aims to use his career to serve others. “I want to use my advocacy and research experience in public policy, education, or law,” Jose said. “Eventually, I want to go to law school and become a civil rights attorney to combat inequity. That’s a DC Prep influence.”

Calvin Carmichael

DC Prep ’14 | Choate Rosemary Hall ’18 University of Southern California ’22

In her move from Maryland to Southeast DC, Calvin’s mom was just looking for “a good school” for her son. “DC Prep happened to be the perfect fit,” Calvin said. He was a member of the second graduating class of Edgewood Elementary Campus, before matriculating to and graduating from Edgewood Middle Campus in 2014.

DC Prep completely shifted Calvin’s perspective on what he wanted out of life. Now a high-performing eighth grader, he wanted a high school that would be challenging, provide plenty of opportunities, and open the doors to great colleges. “I planned to be busy from 8am to 9pm every day in high school,” Calvin said. “I wanted to be completely immersed in school.” When Calvin visited Choate Rosemary Hall, a prestigious boarding school in Connecticut, he knew this was where he wanted to go—and DC Prep’s High School Placement program helped him get there.

“Ms. Moeller [the Director of High School Placement] was so helpful,” Calvin said. “She really pushed me in the application process. She helped me learn to accept feedback on my high school application essays and prep for interviews, and she even drove me to an interview when my mom had car trouble. How many people can say their middle school counselor drove them to an interview four hours away?

“DC Prep laid the foundation for understanding that life is about hard work, and that you have to capitalize on every opportunity,” Calvin continued. “At DC Prep, I was presented with many opportunities. It was the same at Choate: at Choate, I took Mandarin Chinese and studied abroad twice. And in college, I explored a variety of career options.” Now a newly minted dual-degree graduate of the University of Southern California, Calvin works in marketing in Los Angeles.

When asked what makes DC Prep special, Calvin responded, “The staff’s commitment to each and every student. That’s really hard to find in schools. Everyone at DC Prep is really there to be part of bridging the access gap to education.”