CAAP 20 Year Celebration Event
- What
- CAAP 20 Year Celebration Event
- When
- 6/10/2012, 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM
- Where
- County Estates in Diamond Bar
Story By Naomi Bonman, Inland Valley News Staff Writer
The Council of African American Parents (CAAP) is incredibly blessed and grateful to reflect on the fruits of their collaborative efforts on empowering and engaging students. On Sunday, June 10 at the County Estates in Diamond Bar, CAAP will be hosting their 25th Anniversary Celebration from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
“I want to acknowledge and celebrate our organization on being able to stand despite the challenges that we went through to offer services to parents and students to lead the students to their academic achievements,” Ingrid Johnson, Co-Founder and President, said.
The Council of African American Parents (CAAP) is a non-profit organization that works to empower and engage scholars and parents about the importance of academic excellence and maximizing opportunities and resources. CAAP has a number of educational initiatives; such as college tours, the Personal Academic Learning System (PALS), Jr/Sr. Workshops, an Educational Symposium and the Legacy Program that has created awareness about the importance of rigor, advocacy and excellence
“In our 20 year history, we have assisted over 1,000 scholars to go on and attend institutions of higher learning throughout the nation. Our reputation for providing solutions to low academic performance and apathetic parental involvement have been our lynch pins of organizational success,” Johnson said.
CAAP ensures that parents and community members support children so that they will be prepared to competitively compete for seats at selective colleges and universities; become productive and responsible leaders; and will make positive contributions to their families, communities and society at large. The community is encouraged to become apart of CAPP’s endeavor to develop children into the great leaders that they are destined to become.
At the 25th Anniversary Celebration CAAP Pre-School, Elementary, Middle School, High School and College graduates will be recognized. CAAP scholars are diverse in talent and interest, and are working and studying internationally. Ogonna Owu, Diamond Bar High School/UC Davis, is working in Spain as an English Teacher; Brittney Stephenson, Ijeoma Okwandu and Hilary Briscoe have also lived, studied and worked in Europe and Africa.
CAAP High School graduates are Charlton Azuoma ( Harvard-Westlake) accepted to Loyola Marymount; Jalise Beamon (Diamond Ranch High) accepted to St. Johns University; Amanda Caspa (Temescual High) accepted to University of California Riverside and Howard University; Wonder Edem (Ayala High) accepted to University of California Los Angeles; Francesca Essillifie (Diamond Bar High) accepted to University of California Los Angeles; Sara Gikonyo (Corona High) accepted to California State University of Long Beach; IIouno (Narbonne High) accepted to University of California Irvine; Tashara Jones (Mission Viejo High) accepted to California State University of Chico; Sara Lutterll (Ontario Christian) accepted to Fisk University; Iheoma Nkemere (Rancho Cucamonga High) accepted to University of Southern California and Northwestern University; Jared Odom (Damien High) accepted to University of California Riverside and Loyola Marymount; Tochi Oti (Loyola High) accepted to University of Southern California; KaOri Pamon (Summit High) accepted to California State University Long Beach; Victoria Pearson (Harvard-Westlake) accepted to West Point Military Academy; Sydney Potter (Lakewood High) accepted to Azusa Pacific; Kevin Ross (Ontario Christian) accepted to West Point Military Academy; Heaven Saunders (Los Angeles School of the Arts) accepted to University of Southern California; Eden Teferi (Chino Hills High) accepted to University of California Los Angeles; Lake Turner (Damien High) accepted to Cal Poly Pomona; and Monica Ukah (Trabuco Hills High) accepted to Harvard University.
CAAP College graduates include Sam Agbonkpolo, University of California Irvine; Ify Agewenu, University of San Francisco; Billy Chege, University of California Riverside; Julian Daniels, University of California Berkeley; Rachel Higgins, University of California Berkeley; Amat Hunte, University of California Riverside; Phylicia Kirven, University of Southern California; Chris Manning, Loyola Marymount; Cassandra Momah, University of California Davis; Mechelle Monroe, California Baptist University; Ariel Murphy, Dartmouth College; Chiemela Okwandu, University of California Los Angeles; Amani Sampson, Wesleyan College; and Ashley Shatola, University of California Berkeley.
CAAP Graduate and Professional School graduates include Cameron Mabrie, University of California Berkeley Law School; Brittney Stephenson, M.S. University of California Riverside; and Rynicia Wilson, University of Southern California Law School.
“My expectation for this year’s celebration is that we will have 20 more years to make more of an impact,” Johnson said.
For more information on CAAP and sponsorship opportunities, please contact Renee Young at [email protected] or visit www.councilofafricanamericanparents.org.