June 24, 2024
Our Alliance for Success (AFS) students had a busy and productive spring! AFS Coordinator, Renee Lehrman, organized several enrichment opportunities for the students designed to empower the high school juniors and seniors that make up our program with the essential knowledge and skills needed for a successful transition into college or vocational trade programs after high school.
In April, the AFS juniors and seniors were welcomed with open arms at the Count Basie Theatre for an evening tour that covered the history of the theater, career opportunities in the performing arts, an illustration of the variety of programs available for students to hone their creative skills, and scholarship and internship opportunities available at the Basie. Special thanks to Samantha Giustiniani for such an informative tour. We appreciate all the support the Count Basie pours into our community and specifically our youth programs.
In May, AFS juniors toured both Rutgers and Montclair Universities. The students were in good hands with dedicated chaperones. They were presented with information on admissions, financial aid, student life, and academic programming. They even got the inside scoop from current Rutgers students and their Career Exploration and Success Center staff.
![AFS Rutgers tour 4 Alliance For Success](https://lunchbreak.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/AFS-Rutgers-tour-4-scaled.jpg)
![AFS Rutgers tour 3 Alliance For Success](https://lunchbreak.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/AFS-Rutgers-tour-3-scaled.jpg)
The cherry on top of all of this is….
Our Alliance for Success Program was selected as the recipient of the 2024 Education Award by the Monmouth County Workforce Development Board. On May 22nd, they presented our AFS Program Coordinator, Renee Lehrman, with this honor at their annual awards dinner. This is quite an honor and so well deserved. We are so proud of Renee and all the young participants in our program for striving for success and taking advantage of this opportunity. We would like to extend a big congratulations to Renee for all the work, time and heart she puts into this program as well as to all the mentors that work with our youth.
![AFS Graduates AFS Graduates](https://lunchbreak.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/AFS_Spring.jpg)