Alumni Association

			NEWS   We are documenting the wonderful public service work in which our SMYSP alumni and Summer Staff (counselors and co-directors) are involved. Click here to download the SMYSP Alumni Public Service Activities form and let us know what you're doing. If you would like to give us permission to pull quotes or use this information on our site or in print, please be sure to sign and date the bottom of the form. To find out more about what other SMYSP participants and counselors are doing, please visit the SMYSP blog at SMYSP Blog.

The 20th anniversary Leadership Summit and Colloquium was an incredible success!

Thank you to all past participants and counselors that attended the 20th Anniversary Leadership Summit and Colloquium. As Dr. Winkleby said, "The reunion was a meaningful, educational, and inspirational celebration. The alums loved it, it was classy, the food was great, the setting was spectacular, the workshops were right on target, and the company couldn't have been better. Seeing all of the alums networking and enjoying each other's company, and ready to give back and help lead the organization brought special pride."

Alumni at the 20th Anniversary

Color class photos?

Hello SMYSPers. We would like to post all past SMYSP class photos in color on our web site. However, we don't have a color class photo from 2000. Do any of you have a class photo we could use? If you could mail it to us (we will return it), or scan and email it to us, we would greatly appreciate it. If you have any questions, please contact us at .
 

Presenting our Newly Elected Alumni Association Officers

Below are the first SMYSP Alumni Association officers that were elected at the 2007 Leadership Summit and Colloquium. Congratulations to each of these outstanding individuals, and special thanks are extended to all nominees that were in the running. Your support and efforts are greatly appreciated.

 
President: Angel Fabian — 1989 & 1990 participant

"It is with great passion, joy and humility that I run for SMYSP Alumni Association President. As many of my personal statements read "poverty has shaped my professional and personal choices." I was born in one of the many barrios in Mexico City and then migrated with part of my family into the migrant labor camps of the Central Valley of California. In 1989, at the end of my sophomore year in high school, I was introduce to SMYSP and then invited back the following summer. What I can contribute to the SMYSP Alumni Association is not only passion and commitment to the mission of the organization but also the technical and professional skills of leading a nonprofit organization. I look forward to be able to tap into the many resources, specifically my fellow alum, in order to ensure that SMYSP its mission and the impact that it has had in all our lives continues, grows and continually meets the needs of future health professionals."

The President will be the face of SMYSP’s National Alumni Association. His role will include:

Serve as Alumni liaison to the SMYSP Advisory Board. The Board oversees the organization that is SMYSP, including the Summer Residential Program, the School-based Program, and the alumni association.
Ensure creation of Association By-laws with the Vice President. While this task will be done with all officers, it will be the President and Vice President that will ensure they are completed. Two people were chosen to do this task in case something happens to either one.
In charge of enhancing Alumni involvement in the Association. As the face of the Alumni Association, it is the President’s responsibility to get others excited about being involved and to create a desire to begin and maintain involvement.
Create agendas for meetings. It will be the President that ensures that all necessary tasks are being discussed and that progress within the association is being made.
Lead and facilitate Alumni and Officer Meetings. It will be the President that ensures that the time constraints are followed and that all matters have been discussed.
Corresponding with the SMYSP Executive Director regarding activity and updates of the Alumni Association.
Establish funding base for the Association with the Treasurer. While it will be the Treasure that will lead the implementation of ideas about how to raise funding for the Association, it will be the President that will discuss and identify grants with the Executive Director and Faculty Director.

 
Vice-President: Earle Hall — 1992 participant

"I am currently working as a Human Resources Manager at a company that does research on the effects of micronutrients in the body and their effects on chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and HIV to name a few. I am running for the office of Vice President because after completing high school and continuing with my professional and educational endeavors, I have often found myself reflecting back on my experience in the SMYSP Program and I'm sure that I speak for many when I say that the SMYSP experience was one of the most significant and memorable experiences of my life.

I reconnected with SMYSP in the fall of 2006 to do my internship for my doctoral program and I was pleasantly surprised to learn that over the years, the program had evolved into something much larger than what I recall in my reflections of that summer in 1992; and it continues to reach new levels of success as more students pass through SMYSP's doors and graduate high school, college, and beyond.

It’s a wonderful feeling to be here this morning with you all. In the audience today we have counselors and participants from our most recent class of 2007 and as far back as 1987. Some of us have not connected with each other since we were in the program but we have made the effort to be here today from near and far and that says a lot about what this program means to us all and how important it is that we do what we can to ensure its continued success. The Alumni Association, YOUR Alumni Association, is a tool that will allow us to stay connected with SMYSP and give back to a program that has shaped a part of who we are today. It will also allow us to draw upon the strengths of our diverse backgrounds and talents by creating opportunities for us to network.

If elected, it would be an honor to do my part as Vice President to assist in leading this process. My priorities will be to work with our elected officials to increase alumni participation, to foster regular communication amongst the regional College Clusters, to establish written procedures for governing the Association's regular operations, and to build a relationship with the SMYSP administrative office. I envision a strong Alumni Association that will allow SMYSP to remain relevant in our lives as we move on to continue the pursuit of our personal, professional, and educational goals. Thank you."

The role of the Vice President will include:

Serve as Alumni liaison to the SMYSP College Cluster Representatives. It will be the Vice President that will ensure that the College Clusters are communicating with each other, holding events, and have financial backing of the National Alumni Association and SMYSP.
Ensure creation of Association By-laws with the President.

 
Secretary and Event Planner: Jenny Patten — 2002 participant

"This past June I graduated Stanford with a BA in Political Science and am currently an Associate in Product Strategy, Research & Development at Blue Shield of California in San Francisco. I am running for secretary because ultimately I care about SMYSP and believe I have a skillset that would be perfect for carrying out the duties of this position. I have been a member of the Advisory Board for the past three years and have been relatively abreast of the issues and challenges the organization has faced, and will continue to sort through in the future. SMYSP was an integral part of my personal and professional development and I am committed to helping ensure that the program is able to impact the younger generations for years to come."

The role of Secretary and Event Planner will include:

Record and disseminate minutes and reminders of officer and general Alumni meetings. This person will ensure that there is a record of the minutes, and that Alumni Association Officers receive a copy of the minutes for approval. Furthermore, this person will be the one to send out email reminders and make phone call reminders if necessary.
Schedule meeting logistics. It will be the Secretary that determines how meetings will happen in conjunction with the President, whether via phone conference or in person, and arrange for the room.
Create and disseminate the SMYSP newsletter. This person will gather information that will go into the newsletter, compile the newsletter via computer, ensure that funding is available to disseminate the newsletter and lead the dissemination process. The newsletter will be reviewed by the Executive Director.
Plan general Alumni events. The Coordinator will oversee what events will be held for alumni ensuring that time, location, activities and agenda are prepared and ready for the event.

 
Treasurer: Enrique De Anda — 2000 participant

"Eleanor Roosevelt once wrote that “Tomorrow is now; it is today that we must create the world of the future.” In its fundamental nature, the Stanford Medical Youth Science Program symbolizes this principle. By serving as an educational foundation for America’s future community leaders, SMYSP is creating the world of the future. SMYSP alumni practice all professions; to name a few, we are lawyers, business people, engineers, teachers and most notably, doctors. We are the leaders of our communities.

As a member of the SMYSP class of 2000, I fondly remember my time spent in the operating room at the Veterans Hospital. My precious experience during that summer is beyond what words can describe. I am confident that we all feel the same way. Now, a few years down the road, it is time for us to give back to this amazing program.

As a current financial analyst, I find it most appropriate to run for the office of Treasurer as the skill set required for this position is entirely aligned with my current and previous career responsibilities. After graduating from Stanford, I worked as a management consultant for Deloitte Consulting in their Strategy and Operations practice. Currently, I work for the CFO and Treasurer of a public company in Monterey as the Corporate Financial Analyst.

With me, comes a sense of energy, dedication and passion for success. Qualities that I hope to infuse into our alumni association.

Even though I did not pursue a profession within the medical field, I feel greatly indebted to SMYSP for all the guidance and support that it provided me with. As Treasurer, I am confident of being able to contribute to the development and success of the program. Thank you for your time."

The role of Treasurer will include:

Assume financial planning and tracking for the Alumni Association in conjunction with the Executive Director. The Treasurer will be the one to keep record of how much money is spent by the Association and from where.
Establish funding base for the Association with the President in conjunction with SMYSP as an organization. The Treasurer will help identify grants appropriate for funding alumni association activities, and provide a list to the President and the Executive Director. Furthermore, the Treasurer will assist with the writing for such funding as needed.

 
Historian: Daniel Stringer — 2004 counselor

"As Stanford Medical Youth Science Program alumni from two decades come together at this leadership summit, it is apparent how important the history of this program is for its past, present, and future participants. It is the positive impact that past participants have had in the medical and scientific fields that reinforce SMYSP’s mission and work, and that highlight the importance of creating a means of support for us after we’ve graduated from the program.

My name is Daniel Stringer, I worked as a SMYSP counselor in 2004, and I ask that you let me serve you as historian of the SMYSP Alumni Association. I am currently working on small business and health service redevelopment in areas of New Orleans affected by Hurricane Katrina, and I am starting a graduate program in education at Stanford in the fall.

As Historian of the Alumni Association, I am charged with keeping close record of SMYSP alumni-related events. I think that you, as alumni, should dictate how your historical information is recorded, used and accessed. I therefore intend to communicate with you about opportunities to contribute to the historical record of the Alumni Association, as well as checking with you about how best to get collected information back to you. More generally, I am interested in working with the Alumni Association to ensure that all alumni are able to provide unique ideas, observations, and perspectives to a larger dialog about increasing the success of low-income and minority students in medical and scientific fields. We each have a part to play in making SMYSP a life-long, community-wide force for creating opportunity. I hope you will allow me to work with you in this pursuit."

The role of Treasurer will include:

Keep record of all officer meeting notes and College Cluster meeting notes. He or she will make sure that there is a hard copy of all Association activities.
Ensure meeting notes are put on the SMYSP Alumni web site. He or she will make sure that all notes are available to all alumni for review.
Will keep a picture record of the Alumni Association. This Historian will either make that visual record available via internet or some form for all alumni to view.

 
 
Current Operations Council members:

Fabian Alberto, SMYSP participant, 2002
Sung-Woo Cho, SMYSP Summer Staff, 2002 & 2003
Destinee Cooper, SMYSP participant, 1998; Alumni Association Coordinator
Linda Espinoza, SMYSP participant, 2003
Happy Gill, SMYSP participant, 2002
Violetta Gutierrez, SMYSP Summer Staff, 2005
Andrei Ionascu, SMYSP participant, 1994
Lien Le, SMYSP participant, 2000
Eduardo Lopez, SMYSP participant, 1998
Iris Luo, SMYSP participant, 2003
Bertha Mora, SMYSP participant, 2003
Jenny Patten, SMYSP participant, 2002
Seng Peng, SMYSP participant, 2002
Ziola Reyna, SMYSP participant, 2002
Ivan Sanchez, SMYSP participant, 2000
Devynn Taylor, SMYSP participant, 1993
Nina Wu, SMYSP participant, 2002
Steven Wu, SMYSP participant, 1998

To get involved with the Alumni Association’s Operations Council, contact Destinee Cooper at .