BranchOut! Celebrates Another Fantastic Year with a Fun Picnic
BranchOut! hosted its annual end-of-summer picnic on Sunday, August 11, 2024, at the Cabin John Regional Park in Bethesda, Maryland. The event was a celebration of the diverse achievements of our summer programs, and it was heartwarming to see over 60 students, alums, guests, parents, mentors, and program leaders in attendance.
We were excited to see so many BranchOut! mentors at the picnic, and it was wonderful for the mentors to meet their fellow students with whom they have worked with online this summer. Mentors kicked off the picnic with discussions with one another ranging from ethical dilemmas to niche favorites. They then participated in exciting group competitions against each other in teamwork games such as the human knot and charades. Afterward, mentors split into groups led by their program leader to share their experiences and learn more about their peers through inventive activities such as mafia, tag, head up, etc.
Attendees enjoyed a delightful lunch, feasting on a variety of homemade dishes, pasta salad, ribs, noodles, cupcakes, fruits, and more. Following this, team leaders from each project presented a summary of the accomplishments in each of the Community Workshops (virtual), Innovator (Virtual), The Explorer (virtual), Fairfax County Summer Credit Recovery tutoring (Virginia), Montgomery County STEAM Camp (Maryland), Fairfax County STEAM Camp (Virginia), Howard County Public School Summer Program (HoCo Chapter, Maryland), and Community Art Center program (Boston Chapter, Massachusetts). It was a proud moment for all of us to see how our BranchOut! programs have expanded their reach of education since last year, thanks to the collective efforts of our growing community.
Dr. Wu, BranchOut!'s co-founder, also recognized the success of the Boston Chapter this summer, with upcoming plans to visit one of Harvard’s Engineering Labs and their partnerships with local non-profits like Y2Y Harvard Square. Additionally, Dr. Wu invited her colleague, Divy Kangeyan, a Harvard alum, to provide insight into the hardships he experienced growing up in Sri Lanka and his contribution to the Explorer magazine this summer. Dr. Wu shared with the audience that the Explorer aims to bring awareness to issues that South Sudan, the Central African Republic, and Sri Lanka face, such as political conflict, lack of resources, and poverty, through articles that feature voices from young people globally.
The picnic was a great success as mentors, leaders, parents, guests, and alumni learned from one another and celebrated all that had been accomplished after a long summer of hard work. Here is what a few of our mentors had to say about their experiences with their programs and the picnic after spending over a month making memories and growing alongside one another.
"I think the picnic was a wonderful end to the summer and a great opportunity to meet many people I've only interacted with online. The picnic allowed me to connect with the people at Innovator, with whom I've worked for 5 weeks now, and also to share the progress we made with the rest of Branchout! I had a great time connecting with mentors over fun and enjoyable activities, and it was exciting to see what the other programs had accomplished over the summer." - Avery Li, Innovator Team Lead, 12th, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
“The picnic was a unique experience. Seeing people I collaborated with online for weeks in person was amazing. Furthermore, everyone was extremely friendly and welcoming towards me, and we all got along well. The speeches at the end were also informative and inspiring. Overall, it was a fantastic experience!” - Jason Pan, 10th, Langley High School
We want to thank everyone who attended the picnic and recognize the student leaders who helped organize the event.
2024 Summer Picnic Planning Committee:
Eric Duan, 12th grade, River Hill High School
Ethan Gao, 11th grade, River Hill High School
Kavya Kuttuva, 12th grade, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Avery Li, 12th grade, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Elizabeth Li, 12th grade, Oakton High School
David Liu, 12th grade, Episcopal School
Richard Zhu, 12th grade, Richard Montgomery High School
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This post was written by Emily Qiu and Lillian Su and edited by Rebecca Chen
Photo Credits: Song Pan & Yuhsien Wu
