Students from MIC partner the Boston International Newcomers Academy (BINcA) are heading to Aspen, Colorado!
The Aspen Challenge invites high school teams to design real solutions to real problems. This year in Boston, fifteen teams competed, and BINcA rose to the top, taking home a Grand Prize.
Their challenge came from another MIC partner, Sociedad Latina, selected as one of five experts to issue challenges to the students. Sociedad asked students to help immigrant families better understand, access, and trust information about educational opportunities. BINcA's response was the BRIDGE (Building Resources for Immigrant Dreams, Goals and Education) Playbook for Immigrant Families playbook — a free, publicly accessible guide covering everything from college applications and financial aid to GPA, AP and IB classes, and the U.S. education system overall. Crucially, it includes advice from immigrant parents who've already navigated the process.
The team hosted a family night at their school to bring the resource directly to their community; and at a recent MIC Partner’s meeting, Ja-Hon Wang, BINcA’s Community Hub School Coordinator and Aspen Challenge coach, brought one of his students to introduce their solution to the rest of MIC’s partners.
After ten weeks of work and a showcase where over one hundred students presented to a panel of judges, BINcA was named one of two Grand Prize Winners. The team will attend the prestigious Aspen Ideas Festival on an all-expense-paid trip later this month.
"The change starts within our community, and we hope our solution reaches families far and wide," one student said (Bay State Banner).
Read more here:
Students tackle immigrant support, community violence, food access in Aspen Challenge showcase
