Founder's Statement

Mid-Atlantic Advocacy Through Education (MATE) is the product of multiple inspirations, including the the selfless and generous actions of my sister, Nedra Graham, a public school teacher and English department chair in Monrovia, California.  Her decision to provide an anonymous book scholarship to a graduating senior from our alma mater in Pasadena, California was a reminder that service can be meaningful and generous while also fitting the lifestyle and means of the giver. Inspiration also came from conversations with my circle of friends and loved ones in the Washington, D.C. area, working professionals who were looking to be of further service to our communities while negotiating careers, projects, and families. MATE is the coming together of these inspirations, an opportunity to use the knowledge, talents, love, and social capital of working professionals to assist students in need from the Washington, D.C. area with their first-year transitions to area universities and beyond. Thank you for supporting our efforts in whatever way you can.

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Robert L. Graham, PhD