ThinkWise
“To help ambitious, talented students develop and articulate perspectives on relevant issues surrounding them by fostering intelligent debate with peers, mentors and industry professionals.”
What is ThinkWise? ThinkWise is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization with a goal of helping talented youth develop comprehensive perspectives on relevant issues. Through open and interactive discussions and debates, students will gain a better perspective on themselves and learn how to effectively express their views. Many programs focus solely on strengthening standardized test scores, reviewing classwork and proofreading college applications. ThinkWise provides a broader solution than the scope of these programs by creating a forum for students to channel their intellectual curiosity and explore a variety of perspectives through debate. These structured discussions set the groundwork for students to craft a meaningful personal statement, improve communication skills and develop a professional network.
Program Structure Peer Debates
Industry Professionals Debates
Increased Student Perspective
Mentors, Students and the Power of Networks ThinkWise mentors are recent, successful college graduates that come from a variety of backgrounds. Our mentor group includes professionals in consulting, finance, engineering, doctoral programs, law, marketing, medicine and many other fields. We bring a wealth of different experiences and perspectives and will provide diverse insights to young people starting to think about their careers and college applications. ThinkWise understands the importance of networks and relationships with industry professionals. We will leverage our mentors’ expansive networks to offer our students resources and opportunities that may have been out of reach. ThinkWise is looking for academically gifted students entering their second semester of their junior year. Prospective participants will need to submit an application including short answer and essay questions. Target students are top performers, self-motivated and community-oriented; special consideration will be given to students from underprivileged backgrounds.
Conclusion By encouraging students to explore a variety of perspectives through interactive debate with peers, mentors and industry professionals, ThinkWise strives to provide a complement to learning beyond the traditional classroom setting. ThinkWise | 1800 Pacific Avenue, Suite 403 | San Francisco, CA 94109 | (415) 425-5246
ThinkWise Overview January 2008
ThinkWise
Mission Statement
To help ambitious, talented students develop and articulate perspectives on relevant issues surrounding them by fostering intelligent debate with peers, mentors and industry professionals
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ThinkWise
Introduction
ThinkWise is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a goal of helping talented youth develop comprehensive perspectives on relevant issues Through interactive debates with peers, mentors and industry professionals, ThinkWise strives to provide a complement to learning beyond the traditional classroom setting The College Admission Decision
GPA
Test Scores
Essays and Activities
ThinkWise
ThinkWise’s influence extends beyond the college application process, with a goal of helping students connect with industry professionals to explore careers related to their interests ThinkWise
Develop critical thinking and presentation skills
Write essays and attend interviews from a position of increased perspective
Network with industry professionals
Develop relationships with peers and mentors
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ThinkWise
Program Structure
ThinkWise will meet locally twice a month with a group of approximately twelve students from local Bay Area schools, along with a group of young professionals
Program will initially have three major parts:
1 Industry Debates (Beginning 2nd Semester Junior Year)
Peer Debates
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College Application Guidance (Beginning 1st Semester Senior Year)
Representative industries include media, medicine / biotech, finance and technology
Opportunity for students to interact with highly-experienced industry professionals and observe how they debate from different perspectives
Informal and structured debates on current events and social issues
Students assembled into teams for collaborative presentations and strategy
Research and debate presentation directed by individual ThinkWise mentors
Students will draft college application essay outlines with individual ThinkWise mentors
2 (Beginning 2nd Semester Junior Year)
Industry panels assembled on a variety of topics by ThinkWise mentors to discuss alternate viewpoints (e.g. Social networks vs. Internet portals for future news consumption?)
Iterative process to craft meaningful and thoughtful personal statement
Students will continue to develop interviewing and presentation skills 4
ThinkWise
Typical Session Structure – Industry Debates 2:00 PM
Welcome and Introduction (5 min) Industry Roundtable (45 min)
2:15
- Composed of industry leaders representing a specific industry - Leaders will be asked to compare and contrast perspectives on current industry issues - Mentors will initiate the discussion and students will be encouraged to ask questions
2:30 2:45 Peer Roundtables (20 min)
3:00 3:15 3:30
- Students split into small-group discussions moderated by 1 – 2 mentors - 15 minutes of peer and mentor questions plus constructive criticism Personal Statement Development (15 min)
Closing and Next Steps (5 min)
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ThinkWise
Typical Session Structure – Peer Debates 2:00 PM
Welcome and Introduction (5 min) Interactive Debate and Discussion (50 min)
2:15
- 5 minutes of prep - Two 10-minute team presentations
2:30
- Two 5-minute cross-examination periods - 15 minutes of peer and mentor questions plus constructive criticism
2:45 3:00
Personal Statement Development (30 min)
3:15 3:30
Closing and Next Steps (5 min)
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The Power of Professional Networks
ThinkWise mentors are recent, successful college graduates that come from a variety of backgrounds
ThinkWise mentors bring a wealth of different experiences and perspectives and will provide diverse insights to young people starting to think about their careers and college applications
Our mentor group includes professionals in consulting, finance, engineering, doctoral programs, law, marketing, medicine and many other fields
Mentors will serve as a resource for students even as they go through college and further explore their interests and fields of study
We will leverage our mentors’ expansive networks to offer our students resources and opportunities that may have been out of reach 7
ThinkWise
ThinkWise’s Target Students
The program is targeted at top performing students who are selfmotivated and community-oriented, offering them an outlet for their creative and independent thought processes
Special consideration will be given to students from underprivileged backgrounds
Prospective participants will need to submit an application including short answer and essay questions
The goal for students is to develop basic skills in critical thinking and analysis, to strengthen communication and presentation abilities, to apply these skills to college applications, and to help build a professional network that can be invaluable as they enter college and later explore career paths
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ThinkWise Illustrative Timeline
February 11 – Applications go out to prospective participants
February 22 – Applications due
February 27 – Students selected
March 1 – First ThinkWise session
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ThinkWise
What We Need From You
Initial Thoughts?
Ability to access school facilities
Receptiveness with students, teachers, and counselors
Follow-on meetings Student presentations
Potential partnership with existing staff / curriculum
Classrooms for small bi-monthly sessions Larger rooms for industry panels
Extra credit for students Path to become a more integrated program on campus
Next Steps? 10
ThinkWise
Founder Bios
Founders have diverse backgrounds, bring different educational perspectives to the project, and would like to spread that knowledge and experience to Bay Area youth
Louis Chang has volunteered and tutored academically since the age of 18. He currently works as a Research Analyst at Criterion Capital Management, a public market investment firm based in San Francisco. Prior to Criterion, Mr. Chang worked as an analyst at JMP Securities in San Francisco. He graduated from Stanford University with a BS in Management, Science, & Engineering
Nael Fakhry has been involved in volunteer academic and athletic tutoring since the age of 15. He is currently a Team Leader with Minds Matter, a non-profit academic tutoring organization based in New York City, and he volunteered throughout college with East Palo Alto Tennis & Tutoring. Mr. Fakhry is an Associate at American Securities Capital Partners, a private equity investing firm based in New York, NY. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford University with a BA in History
Thomas Wu has been involved with Oakland Asian Student Education Services, an organization helping tutor young children in Oakland Chinatown. He is currently an Associate at Elevation Partners, an investing firm with U2 band leader and global philanthropist Bono as one of its six founding partners. Prior to joining Elevation Partners, Mr. Wu worked as an investment banking Analyst at Morgan Stanley in San Francisco. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of California Berkeley with a BS in Industrial Engineering & Operations Research 11
