March marks one year since the COVID-19 pandemic shook our worlds. A full year of uncertainty, anxiety, grief, and interruptions to our best laid plans. While we were rattled in the early months of the pandemic, our community quickly rallied to care for one another and to forge ahead with resilience.

We can begin to see a light at the end of the tunnel, but the blowbacks against our communities continue as we see a rise in anti-Asian hate crimes. I encourage you to read the statement I recently shared with our community.

We fight for a more equitable future with the same ferocity as we celebrate our brilliance and joy. We most recently celebrated Lunar New Year and we spotlighted contemporary Black excellence and changemakers during Black History Month. In March, we honor International Women's Day. Here at OppNet we are proud to be surrounded by many strong female leaders on our Board of Directors, Associate Board of Directors, Alumni Leadership Council, Student Board of Directors, and Staff.

The need for our work continues. We’re welcoming hundreds of volunteers to workshops where they offer our Fellows the opportunity to apply and practice the skills they build week after week. We’re hosting dynamic and interactive virtual college tours for our 11th grade Fellows so their college plans are not thwarted by the pandemic. We’re partnering with employers to build inclusive workplaces where our young people can thrive because they feel they belong.

We persist with conviction, guided by our community, values, and institutional courage and knowledge.

FELLOWS IN ACTION

In February, our 11th grade Fellows attended our first-ever virtual college trips! Over the course of 3 days, more than 130 Fellows met with representatives from 12 different colleges and universities and engaged in panel discussions with current Fellows and alumni at schools including Skidmore, Tufts, University of Chicago, Trinity, Swarthmore, Columbia, and more!

CAREER FLUENCY^® PARTNERSHIP UPDATES

OppNet hosted focus groups and workshops with new and longstanding partners, such as Cowen Institute in New Orleans and College Track National, to build out systems for career exploration, network building, and roll out our open-access learning platform, UninterruptED: Unstoppable Learning.

OPPORTUNITY ON DEMAND GALA

Join us this May for our first-ever Opportunity On Demand Gala to virtually celebrate our incredible students and community!

GIVE: Make a gift to support our work.

RECEIVE: You will receive a curated gift box including meaningful student stories and products.

EXPERIENCE: Access our Gala site and exclusive digital content through the QR code in your gift box.

Click here to learn more, or email us here.

“We too sing America. We were promised equality in this country. It is a betrayal of the very fundamental tenet of what it means to be American if people stay silent in the face of hate.”

Amanda Nguyen  | Social Entrepreneur  |  Civil Rights Activist  |  Founder + CEO of Rise

Last week, approximately 1.5 billion people celebrated Lunar New Year around the world — one of the most significant holidays throughout many cultures in Asia. A time centered around family and community to practice gratitude, to show care and love through foods with meaning, and to wish one another health, prosperity, wholeness, and good fortune for the new year. I made dumplings and my (self-proclaimed) famous Taiwanese popcorn chicken for my family — we feasted, rested, and feasted some more. But the festivities were overcast by heaviness, sadness, and anxiety. Anti-Asian hate crimes are surging in this country. Between March and December 2020, Stop AAPI Hate, an anti-discrimination coalition focused on the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, received 2,808 reports of anti-Asian attacks across the country. These are just the ones that we know of. Vulnerable elders, particularly elderly women, are disproportionately more likely to suffer from these hate crimes than other gender and age groups within the AAPI community. Why is the surge of anti-Asian violence happening? Because words matter. When the former presidential administration used terms like “the China virus” and “kung flu ” instead of coronavirus or COVID-19, it gave permission, power, and fuel to xenophobia and anti-Asian racism. In the midst of the global pandemic, the typical “model minority” characterization of the AAPI community was no longer convenient to sow division, so the racist narrative of “forever foreigner” had to be amplified. One of the most distressing reckonings for me about the attacks was that no matter how frequent, violent, and egregious the hate crimes were, they were not deemed newsworthy by mainstream media -- the attacks were not important enough to register into the American consciousness. In a recent New York Times feature, actor Steve Yeun said, “Sometimes I wonder if the Asian-American experience is what it’s like when you’re thinking about everyone else, but nobody else is thinking about you.” This quote stops me in my tracks every time I read it, recite it, or remember it. It locks me in its truth. Prominent AAPI figures such as Daniel Dae Kim, Amanda Nguyễn, Olivia Munn, and Daniel Wu have been rallying their visibility and organizing with AAPI civil rights groups to gain more coverage and awareness of the anti-Asian hate crimes taking place. Our collective voices demanded and finally received attention in recent weeks. And Black, Latinx, Hispanic, and Indigenous communities are showing their solidarity in support of the AAPI community. White allies, too. AAPI civil rights activists are also reminding our own communities to not fall into the anti-Blackness trap laid by white supremacy as we grieve and process our anger. All this shows me that there is hope and healing ahead because the anti-racist movement leaves no one behind. Let’s keep being there for one another and let’s keep going.

Daniel Dae Kim’s Instagram Post #IAMNOTAVIRUS

Stop AAPI Hate

We kick-off Black History Month with a celebration of—and firm reminder to step into—our uniqueness from Janelle Monáe (Singer-Songwriter, Rapper, Actress, and Record Producer):

"Embrace what makes you unique, even if it makes others uncomfortable. I didn't have to become perfect because I've learned throughout my journey that perfection is the enemy of greatness."

We do this while remembering that uplifting voices within the Black community should happen each and every day. Join us this month as we celebrate and highlight three individuals, nominated by our community, who amplify the continued advancement of their communities through different fields and careers.

FELLOWS IN ACTION

In preparation for the college application process, our 11th grade Fellows began exploring the concepts of best-fit and personal preference to guide them on their transition from high school to college.

Our annual Winter Conference for college Fellows wrapped up with a virtual Networking Event where more than 150 students and professionals participated!

CAREER FLUENCY^® PARTNERSHIP UPDATES

OppNet hosted another round of “Activating Assets & the Power of Student-Centered Programming” virtual convening where there were 61 attendees from 39 organizations from across the country.

Stay tuned for a third round of this virtual event!

OPPNET IN THE PRESS

As we pursue our mission to equip our students and community to thrive, we inevitably face the systemic roadblocks we aim to dismantle. Our President & CEO invites you to join us in the discipline of hope as we persevere:

2021 continues to remind us that leadership without community feeds oppression, governance without justice fuels violence, and opportunity without access upholds inequality. What the January 6th riots on Capitol Hill have proven to us is that an America without truth breeds white supremacy.

At OppNet, we know these realities all too well which is why we strive to build a world that nurtures leadership at every level across our communities, grounds our practices in the pursuit of justice, and tackles stubborn structural barriers that get in the way of our students’ ambitions.

Organizer, abolitionist, and educator Mariame Kaba said, “Hope is a discipline.” As we settle into this new year, my intention for the OppNet community is for us to be ruthlessly disciplined about hope and to honor what’s possible through deliberate actions anchored in community, justice, and access.

We believe that a life led through self-determination that results in collective care and shared prosperity is possible for this nation. 2021 will be another year that helps us bring that belief to fruition.

Guided by justice, access, and community, check out our January Opportunity Report that highlights how OppNet tackles stubborn structural barriers that get in the way of our students’ ambitions.

EVENT FOR EDUCATORS

Join us for a critical conversation on centering Black, Brown, and Indigenous students this Thursday, January 14 from 2pm to 3:30pm. In this interactive, virtual workshop we'll discuss ways to make space for students to recognize, celebrate, and activate their unique strengths. Few spots are left; RSVP here.

STUDENT UPDATES

ICYMI: You can check out clips of last month's Opportunity Talks Virtual Fireside Chat with Reshma Saujani, CEO of Girls Who Code, on our Instagram.

Our annual Winter Conference for college Fellows continues this month with live virtual events on mental health, financial aid, and more!

Do you know any high school sophomores in NYC who may be interested in joining our six-year Fellows program? Learn more here.

OPPNET IN THE PRESS

Following up from her previous Q&A on college success, check out our President & CEO AiLun Ku's latest Q&A with CollegeXpress where she shares valuable internship and career advice. 

AiLun also shares 3 key strategies for onboarding managers of diverse teams in this article for Training Industry. 

Read more OppNet Insights!

LEARNING RESOURCE

We have developed and implemented an open access virtual platform, UnInterruptED, to support virtual learning for Fellows and communities. It was designed for students to access directly but also as a resource for teachers, staff, and instructors who are looking to integrate Career Fluency® into your virtual programs or classrooms. Register for free college and career resources here.

EMPLOYER NEWS

Want to learn more about how OppNet partners with companies as internship hosts and volunteer partners? Did you know OppNet can be a learning and development partner for employers looking to advance their diversity, equity, and inclusion goals? Sign up for our quarterly Corporate Brief newsletter here.

2021 continues to remind us that leadership without community feeds oppression, governance without justice fuels violence, and opportunity without access upholds inequality. What the January 6th riots on Capitol Hill have proven to us is that an America without truth breeds white supremacy.

At OppNet, we know these realities all too well which is why we strive to build a world that nurtures leadership at every level across our communities, grounds our practices in the pursuit of justice, and tackles stubborn structural barriers that get in the way of our students’ ambitions.

Organizer, abolitionist, and educator Mariame Kaba said, “Hope is a discipline.” As we settle into this new year, my intention for the OppNet community is for us to be ruthlessly disciplined about hope and to honor what’s possible through deliberate actions anchored in community, justice, and access.

We believe that a life led through self-determination that results in collective care and shared prosperity is possible for this nation. 2021 will be another year that helps us bring that belief to fruition.

In community,
AiLun Ku

OppNet President & CEO

Dear OppNet,

As every vote continues to be counted, as they should, it feels as if we’re all waiting to exhale. Whether you’re glued to the news or giving yourself a break, the looming uncertainty of this election is testing our patience and our democracy.

Yesterday, I held an optional “open space” for OppNet colleagues that wanted to drop in to connect, laugh, and be there for one another. I turned to my colleagues and asked, “With all this uncertainty, what would you tell our community during these anxious times?” I want to share their wisdom with you here:

One thing that I keep telling the Fellows is that yes, things are uncertain right now, and it is completely valid to have anxiety about what you do not know, or may not have any immediate answers to, or are not in direct control of. I would encourage you all to also focus on what you do know and what is constant, which is your own self-agency. OppNet is here for you as a community. We are here to be a constant for you during these uncertain times.

Edsel Batucan, Assistant Director of College Guidance and Transition

Look for the positives and the bright spots. One election doesn’t change who we are or have always been as a nation. Deepen your civic engagement and read up on new regional legislations and the many “firsts” that are winning this election.

Ray Reyes, Managing Director of Programs

Stay the course. No election is ever the end-all, be-all for our country. Remember all the work you’ve done to get us here -- your resistance and advocacy will still be needed tomorrow, no matter the outcome. We’re in this for generational change, which means it will require generation after generation to endure and to keep doing the work.

Carl Jackman, Assistant Director of Wellness Support

While these are just a few highlights, one thing is absolutely certain: leadership is abundant at OppNet. And it is this abundance that will carry us to keep advocating, voting, and driving toward a more equitable world for our communities to thrive.

AiLun Ku
President and CEO
The Opportunity Network

In honor of National Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month which comes to an end October 15, OppNet is highlighting three trailblazers who have crafted careers centered on the amplification and representation of the diverse community of Latinx voices in film, television, and literature.

Julissa Calderon

Actress & Producer

Julissa Calderon is a multi-talented Afro-Latinx actress and producer. Though she most recently starred in the Netflix series Gentefied as a queer activist who organizes her community to fight gentrification, Julissa first rose to internet fame when she worked at Buzzfeed producing educational and comedic content highlighting Latinx communities. Julissa regularly wrote, directed, and starred in videos under the media giant’s Pero Like umbrella, quickly becoming a noticeable fixture in viral clips featuring funny skits about Saturday morning cleaning rituals in Dominican households, to serious discussions on issues such as colorism, to cultural celebrations featuring the variety of foods in the Latinx community.

Originally from New York but raised in Miami, Julissa attended the University of Florida before moving to Los Angeles to pursue acting. She had a small role on the ABC show Revenge before landing at Buzzfeed. In addition to her role on Gentefied, Julissa has also launched her own YouTube channel, and regularly speaks at college campuses around the nation, and she has been featured in a number of publications and on podcasts discussing the importance of inclusivity and representation in Hollywood. Earlier this year, Julissa was named one of Variety’s “10 Latinxs to Watch.”

Osmany “Oz” Rodriguez

Director & Producer

It’s hard to miss Osmany “Oz” Rodriguez’s work. From Funny or Die, to Saturday Night Live, the Emmy Award-winning producer has cut his teeth writing sketches for some of the most famed comedy productions. Earlier this year, Oz directed the popular 30Rock reunion special during quarantine featuring comedians Tina Fey and Tracy Morgan, among others. Most recently, Oz directed the Netflix original film Vampires Vs. the Bronx, a coming-of-age horror-comedy starring a group of friends—all of Latinx and Black descent—trying to save their favorite bodega from an increasingly gentrifying neighborhood, discovering a more sinister source of the changing storefronts on their block.

Originally from the Dominican Republic, Oz has described himself as obsessed with movies and how they are made. Though he began watching SNL from an early age, he did not anticipate going into comedy. However, while attending the Los Angeles Film School, he met a group of friends with whom he would ultimately form a sketch group, Honor Student, leading him into the genre that would come to define his career. Upon graduation from film school, he went to work for TBS’s Super Deluxe comedy studio, before moving on to Funny or Die where he created viral shorts such as “The Wire: The Musical.” His big break came when he was asked to join SNL as a sketch director, creating hit shorts such as “The Jay-Z Story” and “A Thanksgiving Miracle.” In addition to SNL, Oz has also been working on the second season of “A.P. Bio,” a show streaming on the NBC platform Peacock.

Carmen Maria Machado

Author, Essayist & Critic

Carmen Maria Machado was already a noted essayist and critic when her debut story collection “Her Body and other Parties” was listed as a finalist for the 2017 National Book Award, launching her to the top of the literary world. Her writing, typically dark—stradling the thin line between horror and science fiction—has been published in a number of magazines and anthologies. Carmen has discussed the importance of education in her family, citing the influence of her grandfather’s migration from Cuba to the U.S. to pursue his bachelor’s degree—taking ten years to finish as he simultaneously learned English, worked, and served in the Korean War. Her father moved the family to outside of Allentown, Pennsylvania after earning his doctorate, where Carmen grew up and developed a fondness for literature. She has named Gabriel García Márquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude which she read at 15 years old as especially influential, and considers his use of magical realism a foundation for her own style of writing.

Carmen graduated from the prestigious Iowa Writers’ Workshop with a master’s of fine arts. She is the 2019 recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship, one of several notable fellowships, residencies and awards she has received. Earlier this year, she also published a six-issue comic for DC Comics called The Low, Low, Woods about two best friends in a small town who lose their memories as a result of a mysterious illness. A longtime Philadelphia resident, Carmen is currently a writer in residence at the University of Pennsylvania.

In preparing our community statement in calling out the acts of police brutality and violence against Jacob Blake and the heinous killings of protesters in response to Jacob's shooting, I was at a loss for words.

How many more statements must institutions continue to release to mourn the Black lives lost and the Black lives harmed?  Shouldn't our goal be eliminating the need for these statements instead of finding new ways to say and to affirm that Black Lives Matter? We, alongside our allies and partners, have already said what needs to be said:

"When unarmed and nonviolent Black [and Brown] people are confronted, more often than not, their lives are in grave danger at the hands of police and the criminal justice system because their guilt and criminality were decided the moment the color of their skin became visible."

I wrote these words merely a year ago, in response to the acts of domestic and racial terrorism that took place in Gilroy, California; El Paso, Texas; and Dayton, Ohio. And even before that, we wrote about police brutality and systemic racism back in March 2018, in response to the killing of Stephon Clark, and how media coverage "[...] perpetuates the inane assumption that Black and Brown lives matter less, and that white perpetrators are more human, less guilty, and their crimes less egregious." All of these words still have the utmost relevance today.

But the unstoppable civil rights movement continues. We won't stop repeating ourselves and taking action until every Black life matters.

#InDefenseOfBlackLives

AiLun Ku

OppNet President & CEO

“We want to see a world where Black lives matter in order for us to get to a world where all of our humanity is respected.”

– Alicia Garza, Principal of the Black Futures Lab

Dear OppNet community:

Since its beginning, America has been known as the land of opportunity.

But we have fallen short of that foundational ideal. For Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), access to opportunity has never been universal. The overt abominations of the pre-Civil Rights era created a subversive system of repression that we have allowed to fester, and even worse, that we have allowed to become cultural.

The Opportunity Network was founded in part in recognition of this harmful reality and continues to work to challenge the historical oppression and racism that make our work necessary in the first place.

And while we are proud of the work we have done and continue to do, this is a watershed moment we will not allow to pass without our active involvement.

In closing, a word to our current and alumni OppNet Fellows: Stay encouraged and active. Structural, enduring change is often led by our youth. You are the future of this country. The foundational ideal of America as a land of opportunity is yours to inherit. Nothing makes us prouder than to watch all you will achieve. Know that we stand next to you and always will.

Your fight, is our fight.

OppNet Board of Directors

Cosigned by: OppNet Associate Board of Directors