6:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m. PST

Reception, Student Summer Project Showcases, and Sponsor Slideshow Feature

Reception (main event floor)

In the first hour of the event, we will have Reception, Cocktails and Passed Hors d’Oeuvres. We hope you’ll enjoy the opportunity to meet and mingle with other attendees across the main event floor of Bimbo’s 365 Club.

Student Project Showcases (main event floor)

Come learn about how Summer Experiences funded by Minds Matter Bay Area have helped our high school students shape their own academic learning, personal growth, and career aspirations. We know you’ll love spending time with our presenters, as they share culminating projects that showcase what they gained from these formative experiences over their Sophomore and Junior summers.

Sponsor Slideshow Feature (main event floor, large screen above the stage)

Come learn more about the generous Corporate and Individual Sponsors who are contributing to our School Night event, and whose contributions will help a generation of Minds Matter Bay Area’s students graduate from top colleges all over the country and break the cycle of intergenerational poverty for their families.

We hope you’ll enjoy the opportunity to meet and mingle with other attendees across the impressive expanse of Bimbo 365 Club's cabaret-style main floor.

7:00 p.m. PST

CEO’s Opening Remarks

Opening Remarks

We’ll start the evening program with a few words from MMBay’s CEO, Irene Shih about our bold vision for impact across the Bay Area over the next decade.

Irene Shih joined Minds Matter Bay Area (MMBay) as its first full-time CEO in March 2019, returning to her hometown roots in the Bay Area. For 19 years, Irene has served students in low-income communities — previously as a middle and high school classroom teacher in Arizona, a strategic advisor to superintendents in large urban school districts like Boston Public Schools, and a thought leader on state-level education policy in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Irene is a corps member alumna of Teach For America, holds an M.P.P. in Social & Urban Policy from Harvard Kennedy School, and completed a B.A. in English Literature and Women's Studies from U.C. Berkeley. Presently, she is a member and contributing writer on the Forbes Nonprofit Council, a contributing writer for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and Nonprofit Quarterly, and a presenter at SXSW EDU.

As the CEO of Minds Matter Bay Area, Irene has led the organization and its 300-student and 300-volunteer strong community through the adversity of a global pandemic, through changing cultural attitudes about remote work and work-life balance, toward unprecedented levels of communal, operational, and programmatic growth. Above all, Irene and her incredible leadership team are focused on the culture and values of MMBay, on fostering a world-class educational environment that nurtures generational impact on its students by cultivating transformational relationships between students and an ecosystem of volunteer mentors.

7:10 p.m. PST

Student Alumni Speaker: Jielu Yu

Hear from a student whose life was impacted by our program

Jielu Yu is a Class of 2019 graduate of MMBay, a 2023 graduate of the University of Chicago, and currently a Social Impact Program Coordinator at Uber. Jielu returned to MMBay as a mentor in 2023, and over the past year has supported mentees Meiying, Sandie, and Yuridia on their own paths to college success.

Reflecting on her experience, Jielu shares how our organization inspired her growth and choices:

“I cannot overstate how important it was for me to have the support of my mentors, Beryl and Jason, as well as to know that the full community of volunteers at MMBay care so genuinely about who we are - not only as students but also as people. At MMBay, I was embraced for being both quirky and pragmatic, which nurtured not only my academic ambitions but also my creative side. Here, I didn't have to choose between different identities. I could just be myself.

It's hard to explain how much this matters as an immigrant, when English is not your first language, and you spend the better part of your youth trying to fit in. There are a lot of talented immigrant children in this country, and often the barrier to finding success is in feeling like you have a right to chart your own path, is in having the permission to try things, take risks, and fail sometimes - and become better for it. We need cheerleaders, and we need guides. To me, that's what my mentors Beryl and Jason were. And it's why we've stayed in touch through my college years and to this very day.”

On October 8, we will get to hear even more from Jielu about her post-MMBay and post-UChicago journey, and all that she has learned in this past year as a volunteer Mentor at MMBay.

In the meantime, please visit our Stories page to read (and watch) stories from students like Jielu, Benton, and Angeline.

7:25 p.m. PST

Spotlight on Two MMBay Champions: Long Tran and Niharika Ray

Come celebrate two of MMBay’s greatest supporters!

Long Tran has been a volunteer and volunteer leader at MMBay since 2016. In nearly a decade of service, Long has been: a Mentor for mentee Ariana Martinez (who graduated from Bryn Mawr College in 2023), a founding member of our Associate Board since 2019, and a trusted leader and “elder statesman” of our Associate Board’s Recruitment & Selection Committee for the past three years.

Long has a sterling reputation as being one of the “sturdiest monuments” at MMBay, whose kindness and leadership has carried our community through many disruptive moments where we needed his steady hand. Through it all, Long has remained unwavering in his commitment to our students - no matter where he sits in MMBay’s org structure, he is focused on bringing the best people into this org that will create the most dedicated support system for our students. We can't wait to celebrate Long’s tremendous contributions and achievements on October 8!

“MMBay brings a balance to my life, and has allowed me to contribute meaningfully to the Bay Area community where I grew up.”

Niharika Ray has been at MMBay since 2016. In nearly a decade of service, Niharika has been: a Math Instructor for multiple classes of high school Junior students, a Math Instruction Lead who led multiple classes of volunteer Instructors, a Community Engagement Lead and later Co-Chief Community Officer who oversaw student and volunteer recruitment and engagement throughout the pandemic, and most recently as Chief Operating Officer and second-ever full-time staff member of MMBay.

Niharika’s energy, organization, and (above all) deep care for every student is palpable. Long before she became a member of staff, she had already made MMBay - and our community of students and volunteers - a central priority of her life. In our org, Niharika is known widely as someone who exemplifies the “we show up” and “we do the hard work” core values - her tireless commitment year over year is deep source of inspiration for all who come through MMBay's doors. We can't wait to celebrate Niharika’s tremendous contributions and achievements on October 8!

“MMBay is a formative part of my life. It’s where I found some of my best friends, and also where I learned to be a leader.”

On October 8 at School Night, we will honor Long and Niharika’s tremendous contributions and legacies. Please join us!

In the meantime, please visit our Stories page to read Long and Niharika’s reflections.

8:00 p.m. PST

Live Auction and Donations

Bid on exciting items, and donate to support our event!

Our live and silent auctions have ended, and winners will be receiving an update on their items. Thank you for supporting!