My name is Jamelfrey Pacheco. I’m an alum from NYC, and the Director of the National Alumni Network at the KIPP Foundation. Over the weekend we wrapped up our second KIPP Alumni Summit in Washington, DC, with 300 alumni from around the country!
In the span of three days, we were proud to offer 29 sessions focused on professional development, financial well-being, and mental health—nearly half led by KIPP alumni! We welcomed new alumni who are taking part in the Rales, Amplify, and Dreamscape Scholars programs. We shared experiences as first-generation college students, entrepreneurs, and leaders in our fields. We learned everything from how to grow a small business, practice self-care, and thrive as a professional in tech, business, education, and the arts. We were able to reconnect with old friends and create new connections that will last a lifetime.
Check out this video recap to get a glimpse of the summit and hear directly from the alumni who traveled from 20 regions to be there:
How It Started And How It’s Going
As many of you know, the National KIPP Alumni Network was launched in 2021, created by alumni, for alumni. But its genesis was several years earlier, when hundreds of KIPP alumni came together at the KIPP School Summit in 2019 to ideate on how the KIPP network could better support us. That led to the creation of the KIPP Alumni Network Design Fellowship, and then a nationwide survey of KIPP alumni later that year.
This was the first time KIPP had reached out to alumni on this scale and asked what we wanted and needed to be both successful and joyful.
Right now, our alumni community is 45,000 strong, projected to reach 80,000 by 2025. KIPP brought us together so that we could make KIPP what it is today—and shape it for tomorrow. Together we are bringing to life what “beyond” looks, feels, and sounds like.
Also at the Summit, we shared the Alumni Network charge, crafted with the voices of alumni. These are the words that will guide the network and what it stands for.
Now, we rise together.
Designed inclusively by and for us and launched in 2021, the KIPP Alumni Network is our place to connect.
To connect with each other, for a lifetime of community, networking, mentorship, and leadership opportunities. And to connect with today’s KIPPsters, by helping shape our schools so every young person gets the joyful, affirming, and excellent education they deserve.
Whether you are 18 or 38, just starting your career or at the top of your game, the KIPP Alumni Network has something to offer. And so do you. Because the gifts we once brought to KIPP are now gifts we bring to the world.
Join us.
We also unveiled a new series of videos featuring KIPP alumni titled “Making Our Mark.” Please enjoy watching the first installment featuring three talented filmmakers who share a special bond and are working together to break barriers in the film industry. And if you want to share how alumni in your region are making a mark or you want to learn more about the National KIPP Alumni Network please email us here. Let’s keep making connections and telling our stories!
