Sydney tentatively packed up for camp; she really wanted to feel included but didn’t want to get her hopes too high. She had been to summer camp previously but came home feeling less than fulfilled. 

As we entered the Howell Nature Center, all our hesitation and worry about potential disappointment disappeared. We were greeted with warm smiles and handshakes. Unsurprisingly, parents of gifted children are likely to have some, if not many, of the same traits that make our own kids so special and unique. As such, both of us almost instantly felt a sense of peace and belonging when we walked into the lodge. The opening meeting with the fellows felt like a gathering of like-minded people. We both wanted to stay for camp ourselves and learn more! We left Sydney with trust that she would grow as a person and find her people.  

When we returned that final day of her first camp, the energy in the closing ceremony was electric. Sydney’s smile and energy glowed through the room. The beautiful echoes of her laughter coupled with an obvious bond with the campers and fellows was heartwarming to witness. It felt collectively, all the staff, fellows, campers, and parents were a family on that day. A few tears were even shed. As we left, the first words Sydney said were “Mom and Dad, I have to come back next year!”  

Over the course of the following year, she continued to grow her spirit and mind along with her intelligence. She became more at peace with herself. The second summer at Yunasa continued this development. She reconnected with old friends and gained new ones. Again, she glowed when we picked her up. By virtue of the transformative impact and breath of fresh air the camp has provided us, we regularly reference positive things along the line of “this has a Yunasa type of feel.”  

Yunasa, and by extension IEA, have become a byword for good people doing good things.  

To close, a quote from Sydney: “To me, Yunasa is a place that is rather difficult to describe. It’s a place which fosters curiosity, companionship, and spirituality in young minds. I feel quite honored to be among that community – at camp, and at heart.” 

Joel and Molly Parker
Yunasa Parents of Sydney 

I write today with bittersweet news. After more than 25 years of incredible service, Betsy Jones has decided to begin her transition from President of IEA to Senior Advisor starting later this year. While we as a board will miss Betsy’s daily leadership of the organization, we are greatly supportive of her decision and excited for her well-deserved next phase. We are proud and grateful for the work and accomplishments she has made as Co-Founder and President of IEA and are humbled by the opportunity to shepherd and grow this organization through the next 25+ years of serving our community.  

Since 1993, IEA has served 11,600 gifted children with passion and dedication. Our programs touch and change lives both locally and nationally, are award-winning in their field, and unique in their approach to serving all parts of a gifted child’s being. Our research continues to influence policy nationally, and to be used by organizations across the US to advocate for gifted youth. As we journey ahead, Betsy has built an unparalleled platform on which to evolve and scale to reach even more children. She will remain deeply committed to ensuring we accomplish our mission of holistically supporting each child in our community.  

I have known Betsy for 21 years since I became a Caroline D Bradley scholar in 2002. I will personally miss Betsy’s everyday presence, and I know I am not alone. While this is a big change for the organization, IEA is blessed by talented and long-tenured IEA staff, an Advisory Board that is deeply embedded within the gifted ecosystem, and a Board of Directors composed of individuals that have known and served IEA together for decades. We have known about and planned for this day and have already been working with Betsy to set up the structures necessary for new leadership to be successful.  

The Board of Directors is committed to making this a smooth transition. We have hired Morris & Berger, a nationally recognized, Pasadena-based search firm that specializes in non-profits and educational institutions. They will work with the board search committee which is made up of experienced and passionate board members. Betsy will remain in her current role until the next President officially starts. We have also asked Betsy to continue to work with us as Senior Advisor to the new leadership and the organization.  

Please join us in wishing Betsy well in this next phase—we are deeply grateful for her inspirational leadership and her impact on the lives of thousands of students.  

Sincerely, 

Byron Lichtenstein 

Board Chair, Institute for Educational Advancement  

Read Betsy’s letter announcing her retirement.

When I co-founded the Institute for Educational Advancement over 25 years ago, I had no concept of just how much impact this organization would have on students, families, and the field of gifted education. Our 25^th anniversary gave me an opportunity to look back and celebrate the joys and the challenges that assisted in making IEA a strong impactful organization.   

As we enter a new quarter century at IEA, I feel this is a good time to step away from my current role as President. Many have said that IEA is like my baby, and in a way that is true. Building this organization that is filled with heart and a commitment to excellence is what makes us special. I could not be prouder of our accomplishments, and I am honored to have been a part of the lives of over 11,600 students. We could not have had this impact without the support of our ever-growing community. Over the years we have been fortunate to be surrounded by generous donors, volunteers, educators, families, and talented staff. All of you have meant a great deal to me personally and professionally. I shall forever be grateful.

The organization is strong and has tremendous promise for the future. Our staff is incredible! These mission driven team members are committed to impacting the lives of bright young people through our core programs, Academy, CDB and Yunasa. We are fortunate to be fiscally sound. We have a dedicated board that is eager to continue the charge. We have an advisory board of exceptional individuals with a great understanding of the needs of gifted youth. The organization is in good hands, and I am comforted with that knowledge.  

It has been such a privilege to be a part of this amazing place and I know that you all will join me in continuing to support the children we serve. We have hired a nationally recognized search firm, Morris & Berger to support our selection committee in identifying our new President. The board has asked that I continue to be available as a Senior Advisor for the next few years to support the successful transition. I have humbly accepted.  

This work has fed me intellectually and personally and I am extremely grateful to have had this opportunity. Thank you for being a part of our growth. As many said at our 25^th anniversary celebration, we have only just begun.  

With gratitude and excitement for the future, 

Betsy  

Read our Board Chair’s response to Betsy’s retirement.

Congratulations to IEA on an amazing 25 years!  

I am so grateful to the many friends of IEA from the Los Angeles area and beyond who joined us for this magical evening celebrating IEA’s founding 25 years ago. As guests arrived they enjoyed cocktails and delicious hors d’oeuvres, listened to live jazz piano and bid on silent auction items. The jubilant crowd included current and past board members, alumni, students, parents, educators and staff all excited to celebrate this major milestone for the organization. I want to extend a big shoutout to our talented EXPLORE students who displayed impressive research projects at the reception, as well as Ziv Bard, a current Caroline D. Bradley Scholar, who came all the way from the Magic Castle in Los Angeles to amaze and delight our guests with mesmerizing magic tricks. 

The evening’s program kicked off with an enthusiastic welcome by Master of Ceremonies and IEA parent, Chris Gialanella, President and Publisher of Los Angeles Magazine, followed by a special proclamation presentation honoring IEA’s 25th anniversary from Los Angeles County Supervisor, Kathryn Barger. A special highlight of the evening for me was when the audience applauded with heartfelt gratitude as Elizabeth “Betsy” Jones, our IEA President and Co-Founder, came to the podium. 

Betsy introduced fellow IEA Co-Founder, Jim Davis and shared her memories of the beginnings of IEA. She recalled sitting at her kitchen table with Jim making plans to create a new organization to support gifted youth and all aspects of a gifted child’s educational and personal needs. Jim assisted Betsy at the podium in introducing the honorees and presenting awards. Honorees included past board chairs, including Jeff Hudson and Chris Newman, whose leadership and dedication to the organization have been instrumental in its continued success. Jim and Betsy surprised additional honorees Michael Piechowski, who was honored for his 22 years of service as a longtime Yunasa Senior Fellow, as well as IEA co-founder Jim Davis, for his important role in founding and guiding the organization in its early years. Lastly, Jim and Betsy honored the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD), represented by Karen Anderson, PUSD Arts and Enrichment Coordinator, for the important role it has played in helping IEA serve hundreds of our local schoolchildren through a long history of program collaboration.

One of my favorite moments of the evening was the champagne toast to IEA’s 25^th anniversary made by Board Chair, Byron Lichtenstein, an alum of the inaugural Caroline D. Bradley Scholar Class of 2002 and part of the first group of Yunasa campers. Byron shared his memories of finding IEA as a 12-year-old and how it changed his life. The crowd raised their glasses in unison to toast the amazing accomplishments of the past 25 years and to look forward to the next 25. The surprises kept coming as Jeff Hudson presented Betsy with a special proclamation from the City of Pasadena that had been signed by Pasadena mayor, Victor Gordo, and a terrific video presentation was shown featuring IEA children and community members sharing their gratitude to IEA and wishing IEA a happy 25th Anniversary.  

In addition to celebrating 25 years, the event raised funds which will support need-based tuition assistance, program implementation and community partnerships. A big thank you to current Caroline D. Bradley Scholar, Matthew Chang, and MC Chris Gialanella, who led the successful “Fund-a-Future” live auction. I am so grateful to all of our IEA friends who generously supported the event by making donations, purchasing tickets and silent auction items or volunteering. And a big thank you to the IEA team for their tireless efforts organizing the event. It was a remarkable team effort. One of the things I hear expressed most when I talk to students, parents, alumni is how lucky they feel to have found IEA because it has made such a difference in their lives. I feel lucky too, and I am very proud to be a part of this organization. Here’s to the next 25, 50, 75 years, and beyond! 

Jane Laudeman 

Development Manager 

Institute for Educational Advancement 

This just in: Jack seemed to be dominating in Magic, the Gathering. However, in their second face off, Madeline pulled out a never-before-used defense saving herself in the last moment, and made a huge comeback by playing another card from the new deck Emily gave her just this week. 

In other news, Howell Nature Camp, already a planet-friendly place by its very mission to save and care for injured or vulnerable wildlife, has become even more environmentally conscientious than ever. This summer, camper-led initiatives have spurred trash pickup hikes along the camp’s many trails, and food a new food scraps waste management system. 

Not-to-be-missed artistic offerings of this past July included a soaring a cappella rendition of Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides,” stand-up comedy routines managing to be both wacky and actually in good taste, and the most spirited cover of Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” since the minions first came on the scene.

What in the world can all these wildly diverse events have in common? Well of course, these news flashes barely scratch the surface of a single week’s worth of Yunasa memories highlighting some of Yunasa campers’ many, and profoundly intense, passions.

Yunasa lets young people be the most concentrated and complete version of themselves, in the full support of a community, or “tribe” as we often call it, of others who appreciate and truly celebrate all the sparkling facets. When I first attended Yunasa about 17 years ago, I immediately went home and told my sister that she should attend as soon as she became old enough.  That was a surprising move only because, although coming from the same parentage and family, the crossover of our major interests is pretty much zero. She wouldn’t be caught dead watching a dance video, while learning a new dance is the thing that has always excited me most. And on the other hand, I couldn’t tell you the difference between a sci-fi novel or ones about sentient robots, and have probably never read a spy series, both of which would probably make my sister ashamed to even admit she knows me.

However, at Yunasa, it’s equally possible to meet a new trusted companion with whom you can finally go in-depth with into your specific passions, or conversely with someone who on the outside, you may have very little in common. They might even come from a totally different generation! Somehow still, when we come together around the campfire to begin and end every camp, you’ll hear the words being sung out, “It’s in every one of us, to be wise, find your heart…” and it’s pretty close to a guarantee that each new and returning camper will have touched some part of that wisdom within themselves during the week. Best of all, they’ll probably have some new skills to help them feel a greater confidence in their ability to reach it again whenever it’s needed throughout the year. 

Participating in Yunasa as a counselor now feels like a yearly dream. The consecutive years of camp are often as different from one another in highlight activities, favorite jokes, or warmest bunk memories as can be, and yet the through line of them all is seeing a place where each year more people reunite with a sense of deep belonging and acceptance for all they are and are growing into. Having a summer camp that brings people from all over the country, and sometimes the world, as part of IEA’s offerings is extraordinarily special. If you are interested in joining us at camp this summer, please apply with the link below to begin your journey of being a part of a special community.

Apply to Yunasa 2023

In addition, if you are interested in contributing, any donation goes a long way toward making what was initially only a dream of the Fellows, now into a living reality. It is the opinion of a 10-year+ Yunasa veteran that the risk of some tears on the last day of camp, when you must bid farewell to friends you may not see for at least another year, is worth the opportunity of finding oneself and richly-cherished connections, which are so great a part of the Yunasa experience. 

Hi! My name is Cassie Kaplan and I am from Indianapolis, Indiana. I am currently a sophomore in college at Southern Methodist University and I am majoring in Biology and Anthropology. I attended Yunasa as a camper for four years in addition to two years as a leadership camper. I have also been a counselor at Yunasa for the past two years. My first year at Yunasa was at age eleven. I was having trouble fitting in at school and on my sports teams because I had different interests and saw the world differently than my classmates or teammates. But once I got to Yunasa, I found people just like me. For the first time in my life, I was surrounded by people who saw the world like I did. 

As a counselor, I have been able to help provide the same space that brought me so much joy and community during my formative years. One of my favorite moments from Yunasa this summer was the variety show, which is an open setting that allows anyone who wants to share one of their passions to do so. Performances range from singing to stand-up comedy to magic tricks. The variety show was one of my favorite activities as a camper, and it continues to be one of my favorite activities as a counselor. 

If these events and the community-feel sound like something you are interested in, I encourage you to apply to Yunasa through the application link below. We are excited to meet you and have you join the Yunasa tribe!

Apply to Yunasa 2023

Being able to return to Yunasa is such a privilege, and it is only through the generous donations given to IEA that I, along with the other counselors, are able to do so. Without the help of donors, this wonderful camp would not be able to continue to provide the home that it has been for me, and many others like me.

Thank you,

Cassie

Myth: Gifted students can succeed without help.

Reality: One of the biggest myths about gifted children is that they are able to succeed on their own without any assistance.  This is not necessarily the case and many gifted children will not be “just fine” on their own.  Similar to many students with disabilities and other high-risk populations which have barriers and needs, gifted students face difficulties in school unless they have access to individualized services and support.  The right services can help a gifted child develop appropriately and reach for their full potential.  Research suggests that a gifted child’s emotional adjustment is directly related to the extent to which a child’s educational needs are addressed.

Myth: Gifted children do not know they are gifted or different from others.

Reality: Although gifted children may not be aware of the term gifted, they often recognize very early that they are different from other children. They may have atypical or more intense interests, or larger vocabularies that turn away other children.  Their unusual sense of humor can get them branded as “weird.” Many young gifted children feel like they are unusual because they feel very different from everyone else and that no one understands them.  Telling children they are gifted and assisting them with understanding their strengths and weaknesses can help a child better understand these differences and view them more positively.

Myth: Gifted children naturally want to be “loners.”

Reality: Most gifted children do feel different from their same-age peers and many like to spend some time alone.  Gifted children may seek to find peers who share their interests, but these friends will not necessarily be from their own age group.

Myth: Gifted children always get good grades

Reality: Gifted underachievers are real. Some gifted children are bored and disengaged from being unchallenged in the classroom, therefore they stop really trying to get good grades. Other children spend so much time on academic pursuits unrelated to school that required work goes uncompleted. These students benefit from the guidance of an adult to help break the cycle of underachievement.

Myth: Gifted students’ emotional stability is significantly atypical relative to other children.

Reality: Although the available research shows that gifted children are as well-adjusted as other groups of children, they often experience uncharacteristic social and emotional development.  The tendency toward perfectionism, the susceptibility to depression and the uneven or asynchronous development of the gifted child can create tension within the child both at home and in the classroom.  A disparity between a students’ needs and the educational services provided, or from inadequate support to deal with peer and societal pressures, also can result in adjustment difficulties in their lives.

Myth: Gifted children are more mature (or “should be” more mature) than other children their age.

Reality: Regardless of extraordinary talent or ability in academic and other areas, gifted children generally show the same level of emotional maturity as other children their same age.  Adults should not expect gifted children to demonstrate a degree of maturity beyond their years.

The Institute for Educational Advancement (IEA) is dedicated to the intellectual, creative and personal growth of our nation’s gifted and high potential youth. Most gifted-centered organizations focus strictly on talent development and academic achievement but neglect the personal development of gifted children who are often misunderstood and misdiagnosed.  The Institute for Educational Advancement is uniquely focused on the development of the whole child, providing programming and services that support a child’s intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual and physical needs.  IEA provides both challenging educational programming and a nurturing community that families can count on to meet the distinctive needs of their gifted children.

Source: The Amend Group

Giftedness does not just go away when you turn 18, but most resources for gifted individuals do. This was a painful realization as I entered my adult life after graduating from college. Everyone has the “after college you’ll enter the real world” talk at some point in their lives, but I did not realize how true that statement is, especially being a neurodivergent individual. All the intensities and overexcitabilities are still with me. I have been fortunate to grow up with my giftedness supported, from being homeschooled, where I could learn at my own pace, to starting college at 15 through a program built for neurodivergents. Even without such an obvious sign that I am “different” from my peers, I am sure I’d have experienced similar feelings of “otherness” had I not taken an accelerated path. After graduation last year I intended to take a gap year to allow time to acclimate to the “real world” before entering law school, and thank goodness I did. This past year has eased the transition from being in an environment tailored to cultivate a gifted mind to one full of neurotypicals. Though I have not had trouble fitting into the culture of my workplace or forming a routine without the structure of school, there was a noticeable learning curve when entering the “real world”.

It is at this point in life when clear rules transition into the broader social contract we all participate in. Being neurodivergent, it is inherently difficult to make this transition. Many have made this transition without ever knowing it, a feeling of “otherness” hanging over them. I however am doing so with a painful sense of understanding. Other students will be at least two years older than I and will have had more time to learn the ground rules of the real world. Is bringing a gift for the host of a small social gathering acceptable in your early 20s or is that more early 30s social etiquette? I certainly can’t purchase a bottle of wine. The structural systems in place, such as higher education or the workplace, don’t exactly have “gifted” or “honors” sections. How am I supposed to find others like me if we are no longer branded? What will it be like living on my own? How do I navigate having an asymmetric personality in a society that has minimal idea what that means in practice?

I have no answers as to how to facilitate this transition; I’m just now at the beginning of the journey. My goal is to share my experience so that those who are starting this transition have some inkling of what’s coming and that those who have already gone through their transition know they are not alone. Throughout my life I have met many adults, professors, even my own family, who are no doubt gifted, but had to experience life without knowing why they felt this “otherness.” They forged their own path through society with minimal support, attempting to conform while still living with this unidentified “otherness.”

My motivation to start this series of articles is not just due to my current experience, but by that of two mentors in my life, both of whom found their giftedness by relating to my neurodivergent teenage woes. Two brilliant people who might have forever felt they were alone in their experience. Giftedness is something that will be with me, with us, until the day we die. Don’t let the lack of obvious resources equate to a lack of deserving support, love, and acceptance.

As the weather warms up, things open up, and summer vacation quickly approaches, I thought I would check in with a teacher to find out her summer tips for parents of 2E children. These recommendations are designed to help make returning to school in the fall smoother, make good use of your children’s time, and relax and enjoy your child.

1. Maintain the same routines and structures around their day as they would during the school year. Wake up, go to bed, and eat meals at regular times that are the same or close to what they do during the school year.
2. Just because school is out doesn’t mean learning has to stop. Check-in with your local library and join their summer reading program. IEA’s Academy is still taking applications for summer 2022! Join us online or in-person with advanced enrichment classes. IEA Academy – Summer 2022
3. Schedule time for outdoor activities, as well as regular, structured indoor and outdoor time.
4. Volunteer! Many organizations are looking for student volunteers. Check-in with your local nonprofits to see how you and your child can get involved. IEA is always looking for parent volunteers. If interested, click here.
5. Have fun – play, visit family and friends, and allow for downtime.

Have tips of your own that work? We would love to hear from you! Share your recommendations in the comments.

Have a fantastic summer!