Dear Friends and Family,

I invite you to partner with us in supporting a transformative initiative that brings together diverse graduate students from Columbia University and young people in Kibera, Kenya through mentorship, mental health engagement, education, and cross-cultural exchange. There is often an assumption that students attending an Ivy League institution like Columbia University, are not “in need.” However, many of these students come from historically marginalized, first-generation, immigrant, and low-income backgrounds. Behind the prestige are students who have overcome significant personal, financial, and systemic barriers to pursue advanced education and service-oriented careers. Many are balancing academic pressure with financial hardship, family responsibilities, and the emotional demands of preparing to serve vulnerable communities. Your sponsorship will help remove financial barriers that might otherwise prevent students from participating in this life-changing work. It will support lodging, educational programming, community engagement activities, and culturally responsive mental health outreach efforts designed to uplift and empower youth in Kibera.

This initiative is deeply rooted in the concept of “possible selves” — the idea that young people begin to envision greater futures for themselves when they are exposed to mentors, role models, and pathways they may not have previously imagined attainable. For many children and adolescents in Kibera, meeting graduate students from diverse racial, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds who are pursuing careers in mental health, medicine, education, social work, and leadership can expand their sense of hope and possibility.

Representation matters. Exposure matters. Relationships matter. When students in Kibera interact with compassionate young professionals who reflect resilience, achievement, and purpose, they begin to see new possibilities for their own lives. They begin to imagine themselves as future scholars, clinicians, advocates, educators, and leaders capable of transforming their own communities. At the same time, the Columbia students are profoundly shaped by this experience. They gain deeper cultural humility, a stronger understanding of global mental health challenges, and firsthand exposure to the resilience and strength within Kenyan communities. These experiences cultivate future leaders who are more empathetic, globally conscious, and committed to equity and service.

Your contribution is not simply funding a trip. You are investing in human connection, global understanding, mental health advocacy, leadership development, and the power of hope. Most importantly, you are helping create a bridge between young people who may live worlds apart geographically, but who share the same desire to be seen, valued, inspired, and empowered. We hope you will join us in sponsoring these students and helping make this transformative experience possible.

You can donate:

• Online by clicking the fundraising links

• Venmo: @CrossingThresholds-Inc (please include my name in the note)

• By check: Crossing Thresholds, Inc., PO Box 446, New Canaan, CT 06840 (please include my name in the memo)

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Alexandra Seals PhD 
Senior Adjunct Professor