Message from the Board of Directors
We have got some exciting news to start 2022: On behalf of the Alray Scholars Board, I am delighted to welcome Debbie Nguyen as our new Executive Director. Debbie comes to us with impressive leadership experience in the nonprofit world–as both a strategic thinker and an indispensable doer. In addition, her lived experience makes her especially passionate about Alray’s mission to help promising students surmount hurdles and reach their full potential.
With your support, Alray Scholars has had a transformative impact on the lives of so many remarkable Boston students. We know this model works. And we now have an ambitious plan to expand this organization’s reach and deepen its impact, building on the wonderful work that Janet Altman did before her retirement as Executive Director last year. With special thanks to my friend and colleague Michele Carroll, who chaired our search committee, and all our fellow volunteers, I am happy to report that we have found the ideal person to lead Alray to the next level.
With our thanks and best wishes,
Message from Debbie Nguyen
Hello, Alray Scholars community!
I would like to take a moment of your time to introduce myself to you. I am Debbie Nguyen, the new Executive Director of the Alray Scholars Program. Immediately prior to joining Alray, I was Chief of Staff at Foster America, a national nonprofit focused on improving the foster care system. While the child welfare sector has been my focus for the last few years, education–specifically access to higher education–has been a huge part of my story. I was a first-generation college student, after receiving the opportunity to attend Swarthmore College on a national scholarship program for low-income students. And, I am not afraid to admit, my first two years of college were tough. I had some close calls with course failures and social isolation, as I tried to adjust to the transition from a large, diverse public high school to a small, private college. After finding a mentor on campus who was willing to listen to my story and champion my success, I began to thrive.
Because of my own experience with higher education, I felt an immediate connection to Alray’s mission and work, which aims to make the path to a college degree easier for students returning to school. In just my first few weeks at Alray, I can already see that this organization has built a strong program that is responsive to the needs of scholars. I can also see that the heart and soul of the organization are our dedicated scholars, alumni, mentors, volunteers, and financial supporters. THANK YOU for all that you have done for Alray scholars thus far. I look forward to meeting with you in the coming months and partnering to ensure that a post-secondary degree–and, in turn, a rewarding career–is accessible to every Boston student.
