Current Events

Alexandra Hurtado (XXIV) is a physician assistant in emergency medicine in Seattle.

PREP 9 students at Deerfield wrote letters of appreciation to hospital staff through Kind Words USA.

COVID-19

COVID-19 arrived forcefully at the start of 2020, devastating entire cities and countries around the world. Its impact was felt disproportionately in communities of color, especially the zip codes where many Prep for Prep families live. We would like to take a moment to remember and honor members of the Prep Community lost to the pandemic. Our hearts go out to those who have lost parents, grandparents, caregivers, and friends.

We would also like to acknowledge the incredible people who cared for us during difficult times. Our staff and faculty quickly pivoted to provide uninterrupted services to our students, from engaging online instruction for the youngest learners to ensuring all of our students from middle school through college could access technology devices, emotional and mental health resources, and have the means to return home when campuses closed.

Lastly, our alumni continued to show us leadership by example. Over 550 educators and 250 healthcare workers in our alumni body strove to care for students and patients while adapting to their own evolving circumstances. Thank you to this community for your courage and commitment.

Over 550 educators and 250 healthcare workers in our alumni body strove to care for students and patients while adapting to their own evolving circumstances.

RACIAL AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

As a diverse community that aims to create ethical and effective leaders, we know that advancing justice is a long and winding path. Our nation’s legacy of institutional racism affects us deeply. The Black Lives Matter movement, and all of the students and families who called upon us to engage and do more, show us that collective actions matter and are necessary to advance racial and social justice.

Prep for Prep will continue to center its community of students, families, alumni, and staff in all we do. The specific trauma of racism and microaggressions so many students of color experience in historically white spaces is unacceptable. We hear our community members who have felt unseen, unheard, and unsupported. We honor your stories and your experiences, and we will learn from them to support the dismantling of systems that run contrary to equity and inclusion goals. We reaffirm our commitment to using our resources to empower our community to help build a more just world for all of us.

LEADERSHIP TRANSITIONS

Leadership changes at Prep for Prep reflect our continued growth and evolving needs. After an extensive and thoughtful national search, Ruth Jurgensen was appointed CEO in July. She brings to Prep over two decades of experience as an educator and administrator, and is the first person of color to lead the organization. At the board level, for the first time in Prep’s history, two alums now lead its governing body. Yahonnes Cleary (P9 V) and Christopher James (IX) were appointed Co-Presidents of the Executive Committee of the Board to succeed longtime Trustee Lisa Cashin, who became Chair. In May, Amanda Boston (XXII) was named President of the Alumni Council and earned a seat on the Board of Trustees.