The Esperanza Education Fund » Events

Career Day for Esperanza Scholars

Alvaro — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 19:12:08 +0000

On Saturday, March 13, the inaugural class of Esperanza Scholars and their mentors met for their first intensive Career Day in the District of Columbia. Scholars had one-on-one lunches with their mentors, and then attended a two-and-a-half hour career advising meeting with Mr. Clifton Coates, Director of the University of the District of Columbia’s Career & Professional Development Center. Scholars discussed career plans, summer internship opportunities, and interview skills with both Mr. Coates and their mentors during this session. The group ended the day with a delicious dinner at Charlie Chang’s Restaurant.

This session is the first in the Esperanza Fund’s effort to provide its scholars with both the financial resources–and the social and professional networks–that are critical to academic success. If you would like to help our Mentorship Committee, by hosting an event, making contacts for our scholars, or in other ways, contact Alice Yao here.

At the Carnegie with Elizabeth Joy Roe

Alvaro — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 16:45:01 +0000

Elizabeth Joy Roe wowed us. Starting with a hypnotic Bach / Siloti Prelude in B minor, and ending with Ravel’s explosive La Valse—and touching on Gershwin, Rachmaninoff and others in between—Elizabeth’s program was magnificent.

The ballroom of the Carnegie Institution was packed with an audience of 125 people. We were joined by numerous attorneys, businesspeople, and other prominent guests, including His Excellency Luis Valdivieso, Ambassador of Peru. After the concert, guests toasted champagne in the Carnegie’s marble rotunda to the music of the Peach String Quartet. By the end of the evening, we were able to raise over $10,000 for new scholarships to be awarded to immigrant students this spring.

We are deeply thankful to those who made this event possible, especially our Patrons, the Peach String Quartet, and of course, Elizabeth Joy Roe.

More photos from the event, courtesy of eventosVIPpass.com, after the jump.

Benefit concert featuring Elizabeth Joy Roe

Andy — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:00:07 +0000

Hailed as “brilliant” (New York Times), “electrifying” (Dallas Morning News), and “an artist to be taken seriously” (Chicago Tribune), Korean-American pianist Elizabeth Joy Roe has captured universal acclaim from critics and audiences alike for her appearances as recitalist, orchestral soloist, and chamber musician. A graduate of the Juilliard School and winner of the William Petschek Piano Debut Recital Award, Ms. Roe has been featured on NPR, BBC, and MTV, and has performed at major venues around the world, including Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall in New York City; the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC; Salle Cortot in Paris; Salón Dorado in Buenos Aires; the Seoul Arts Center in South Korea; and the Banff Centre in Canada. Ms. Roe is a Steinway Artist.

The Phalanx, 10 Kilometers Later

Andy — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:00:44 +0000

This morning, 14 brave souls came out to Haines Point to run a 10K for the Esperanza Education Fund. Nine of us formed the “phalanx,” spelling out “E-S-P-E-R-A-N-Z-A” at the start and finish lines. The crowd–some 2,000 runners and friends–loved it; so did the Washington Running Report. Thanks to everyone who came out and everyone else who supported the runners with donations and encouragement.

Close to the finish line

After the race

Veterans Day 10K

Andy — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:48:43 +0000

Thanks to everyone who came out to our kickoff Happy Hour and Pisco Tasting at Las Canteras last week. We were able to raise a nice bit of funds for scholarships, and everyone seemed to have a good time (and drank like it!).

We will be running our first race, the Veteran’s Day 10K in Washington, DC, on November 15. Nine of us, the “phalanx,” if you will, will be running with one of the letters of “ESPERANZA” on our shirts, and will run the course as a group. If you can actually run, or if you just don’t want to run in line, you can also run solo and join us when we all regroup at the finish line.

Register here and please affiliate yourself with “Team Esperanza.” The registration fee is about $28, including fees. Please try to register by Friday, October 16. We also ask that registrants raise at least $100 to go towards scholarships although we would love for you to raise more; our hope is that we can raise enough money for one more $5,000 scholarship through this event. If you run, you will get a free Team Esperanza t-shirt, and, of course, everlasting glory.

To support a runner, please go to our Support section.

Pisco Tasting at Las Canteras

Andy — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 01:09:55 +0000

A new academic year is upon us and with it, a new calendar of activities for the Esperanza Fund. In the months ahead, we’ll be fielding a 10K running team and hosting a private recital with a brilliant young concert pianist of BBC, NPR and MTV fame, Elizabeth Joy Roe. We’re pretty excited.

To kick all of this off, please join us for a Kickoff Happy Hour and Pisco Tasting on Friday, September 25, from 5:00 to 7:30pm at Las Canteras Restaurant in Adams Morgan (2307 18th St. NW). Owner and resident Pisco expert, Gary Lee, will be on hand to prepare custom Pisco cocktails and explain the different varieties of the famous Peruvian brandy. Of course, a portion of all sales of tasty drinks will be dedicated to the Esperanza Fund.

Please RSVP by Tuesday, September 22 to reserve your spot!

Update: Here are a few pictures from the event. Thanks to Gary Lee and the Canteras staff for a wonderful evening.

First Annual Community Picnic

Alvaro — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 13:25:55 +0000

This Saturday, Esperanza members, supporters and our brand new inaugural class of Esperanza Scholars gathered to barbecue, frisbee, and play soccer at Fort Hunt Park in Alexandria. Special thanks to Klass and LatinBag.com for generously supporting the event.

Launch Party & Concert

Paul — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 03:05:45 +0000

On March 20, we launched our organization at Atlantic Video television studios in the District of Columbia–host to ABC, HBO, Bloomberg, and now the Esperanza Education Fund! Bolstered by co-sponsorships from 11 local immigrant organizations—including the Hispanic Bar Association of the District of Columbia, the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of the District of Columbia, Ivorian Hope, and the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian-Americans—the evening both highlighted the art and culture of our diverse immigrant community and allowed us to kick-start our fundraising. It was a huge success—a couple of numbers to explain:

250+ The number of people who joined us to celebrate.
$11,000+ The amount we raised at the event.
$30,000 The minimum value of the scholarships we will award later this month.
200+ The number of applications the Scholarship Committee will soon review…

We reserve a special thanks to our wonderful donors. Your generosity—especially during these difficult times—awed and inspired us. We will not take your vote of confidence lightly.

We will soon announce our first round of scholarship recipients. Until then, please join our new Facebook group to keep up to date on all of our events and to see photos of the event!

Rosca de Reyes

Paul — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 03:18:48 +0000

The Development Committee, led by Alfonso “Poncho” Berthier, organized the first event of 2009 on January 9—a Rosca de Reyes party at the Danzon Art Gallery in Adams Morgan. “Rosca de Reyes” is a traditional celebration held in parts of Latin America for the Dia de los Reyes (Three Kings Day). The “celebration” consists of being with friends, drinking an Aztec hot chocolate drink called champurrad and eating a specially-baked Rosca de Reyes cake.

Co-hosted by the Ex-aTecs, or the Alumni Association of the Instituto Tecnologico de Monterrey in Washington, D.C., this event allowed the Esperanza Education Fund to spread the word to more people about its mission and scholarship program. It also allowed Esperanza folks to drink a lot of Aztec hot chocolate. Special thanks to Poncho and Eduardo Barada of the Danzon Art Gallery for organizing our kickoff event for the year!