BREAKTHROUGH ALUMNA SPOTLIGHT

was one of those kids who had so much energy and was very lovely, but it was often expressed in a way that was distracting to others, so I needed to manage him. One day he escaped during lunch time. I suddenly walked into my classroom and there he was sitting in front of the fan, singing to himself with the fan distorting his voice. It was the most adorable, funny thing. He was fully entertained and he was fully naughty. I hadn’t even noticed he was missing!”

When Gena left Summerbridge, she felt like she had some skills as a teacher, but it was still mostly improvisation. So right after graduating college she entered the University of Pennsylvania’s Masters of Education program, which also allowed her more experience inside a classroom and year-round school.

In the twenty-five years since she left Summerbridge, she has been a founding science teacher at the Boston Evening Academy and a teacher at the Parker Charter School in Massachusetts. Gena felt drawn to the school reform of the late 1990s, focusing on having students think deeply and do interdisciplinary work, places where teachers reflected about their work, places like Summerbridge. She then moved on to teaching teachers. Today, Gena is a PhD candidate and Adjunct Professor in Education at the University of Rochester.

BREAKTHROUGH WELCOMES NEW ADVISORY BOARD & COMMITTEE MEMBERS

MICHELLE TODD-COLEMAN

Assistant Principal, Edwin Forrest Elementary School

I chose to become a part of Breakthrough because of the opportunities it provides to our marginalized students from disenfranchised communities around Philadelphia. This program is relevant to me because programs such as Breakthrough helped me pursue my college career and become the first person in my immediate family to go to college and graduate.

Breakthrough targets students before they reach high school, because middle school is such a crucial age in our city to get caught up in the wrong type of activities. Many of our youth just need that opportunity to see more of the world and explore their individual talents, and Breakthrough does this very thing.

Breakthrough is a program that helps break barriers and prepares our students for their future selves, by changing outcomes and instilling a growth mindset on the young and for them to believe in the many possibilities ahead of them.

SARITA MALAKAR

Deputy General Counsel, Corporate and Assistant Secretary, Vectrus

As an immigrant from Nepal, education was pivotal to me in leveling the playing field and affording me with professional and growth opportunities that are generally not available to women of color. Consequently, I personally relate to Breakthrough’s core mission of education equity, and I am excited to give back to the community by leveraging education to access better opportunities and resources.

Sarita currently serves as Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, Corporate and Assistant Secretary for V2X, Inc. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from the University of Maryland, College Park (magna cum laude), and a Juris Doctor degree from the George Washington University Law School. Sarita lives in the suburbs of Philadelphia with her husband and her daughter, a high schooler at Germantown Friends School.

There are so many great missions out there but Breakthrough’s focus on changing trajectories so early in a child’s life stands out to me. The mission’s focus on finding younger, high-potential children that could use support through the multi-year program during their formative years, I think creates a multiplier effect for long-term impact.

Annual Spring Soirée

Thursday, April 27, 2023 6 to 8:30pm

Germantown Cricket Club

Meet Breakthrough of Greater Philadelphia Scholars and Teaching Fellows, and team up in a competitive trivia game to raise funds for Breakthrough. Join us for this annual spring fundraiser on April 27. Last year’s event sold out, so get your tickets today!

Includes dinner, open bar, silent auction and trivia night

RSVP or Make a Donation HERE!