New Board member Carlos Cedeño

Carlos Cedeño recently joined our Board of Directors. Here is his story, as published in our latest Earthen Vessels News :

Earthen Vessels gave me hope. I was a kid with no hope, no role models and no aspirations. Earthen Vessels took me in and helped me develop the characteristics that have brought me much success in life.

Through the Earthen Vessels Tutoring Program, I was able to solidify my weak academic skills into a strong academic foundation that led to my being accepted by A Better Chance, a program that places minority students in schools with a solid academic curriculum to better prepare them for college. In addition to the formal academic development, the Tutoring Program gave me confidence and the belief in myself which helped me overcome my initial academic deficiencies. I graduated from Longmeadow High School and enrolled at Tufts University where I received my B.A. in International Relations.

At Earthen Vessels Camp I also learned the importance of teamwork, through the cooking, table setting, and dish teams. The roles that I played on these teams (although not always fun at the time) taught me that by working together we can accomplish many things.

Mountain hikes, too, taught me that I can accomplish anything that I set my mind on. I had earlier suffered from asthma and was afraid of having an episode during the hikes. The counselors organized a group that walked at my pace and talked me through the hikes. Once I succeeded in reaching my very first mountain peak, I felt proud. On many levels those hikes proved to me that one can overcome fear and feel a sense of accomplishment. They taught me that if I kept working hard in life, there would be a beautiful view at the top.

I also learned conflict resolution, via workshops and role-playing scenarios. I learned to be open-minded about different music, different activities (volleyball—not a cool sport growing up in the ‘hood), archery (I had no idea what that was until I attended EV camp), and spiritual growth (via the reading of Bible passages and the conversations we had about them every evening).

In short, the success that I have today owes a great deal to Earthen Vessels. I started out as a 14 year-old kid without any positive role models, with little belief in myself, full of anger, unable to see past the neighborhood that I grew up in. I have since graduated from one of the top high schools in Massachusetts, and from one of the most competitive universities in the field of International Relations. My beautiful wife Ruth and I have two wonderful children, Mariaisabel and Juan Carlos. I still have goals and am teaching my children the values of hard work, prayer and belief in self. I thank Earthen Vessels for instilling in me the values that have brought me much success and happiness in life.