2012 Annual Report - The Steppingstone Foundation

When the envelope from The Roxbury
Latin School arrived that cold Saturday
in March, Monique Denaud watched
anxiously as her son, Alvin, opened it,
read it, and then broke into a smile.
He’d done it. He’d gotten into one
of the most selective and storied
independent schools in Boston. And
in that moment, Alvin’s mother, who
came to Boston from Haiti, could see
a future for her son that she’d scarcely
imagined the year before.
“I never would have known this kind
of opportunity might be a possibility,”
she says.
While Alvin Massenat’s acceptance
at Roxbury Latin resulted from his own
hard work as a Steppingstone Scholar,
it is also the upshot of his family’s
tireless efforts. In addition to caring
for Alvin and his two sisters, Saika and
Atamawa, Monique works at a nursing
home in Brookline and is studying
part-time to become a registered
nurse. “Although it is sometimes hard,”
she confides, “this is the time for me
to help my kids find schools where
they have the best chance at a future.”
When Alvin began his academic
preparation with The Steppingstone
Academy last July, Monique had
hoped Steppingstone would give him
the focus and confidence he needed
to find a school that would both
challenge and nurture him. It did.
“The teachers and staff at Steppingstone
were so helpful in organizing us
and making us feel comfortable looking
at different schools,” she observes.
Currently a sixth-grader at the Rogers
Middle School in Hyde Park, Alvin
will bring his love of math, guitar,
and running to the campus of RL as
a seventh-grader this coming fall.
A generous financial aid package
will help make it possible. “Without
Steppingstone, I never would have
thought about trying to afford the
cost,” notes Monique. “I can’t even
really put into words how I feel,”
she adds.
“I’m trying to give my kids the best
life possible. I had heard how great
Steppingstone was. Now, I know it’s
true.”
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Alvin Massenat '13 with mother, Monique Denaud, and
sisters, Atamawa and Saika, in their home in Mattapan.
Helping Families
When Steppingstone comes into the life of a Scholar, possibilities
are changed. So are families. For generations.