Alumni Spotlight: Annalise Rosembaum, Class of 2020
Photo by @inspiredimagesportraitshouston
Annalise joined Minds Matter Houston as a sophomore at Eastwood Academy in 2017. She came from a single-income family in the East End of Houston and hoped to become a first-generation college student. Although her family was supportive of her educational dreams, they were not equipped to help Annalise navigate the college selection, application and financial aid process. After learning about MMH’s mission and student program, Annalise was eager to make the necessary three-year commitment to better her future.
When asked how MMH impacted her educational experience, Annalise said that “for me, Minds Matter was crucial in three fundamental ways: it helped me significantly improve my SAT score, gave me life-changing summer experiences that informed my college decision, and ultimately, inspired my career path in the non-profit world today.”
Through MMH’s SAT tutorials during Saturday Sessions, Annliase was able to increase her SAT score by over 300 points and gain confidence in her test-taking abilities. She learned strategies that helped her successfully navigate exams in various academic settings and helped her believe in her own academic potential.
Through the Summer Program, she had her first experiences travelling on a plane and going out-of-state to attend the Young Global Scholars seminar at Yale University in 2018. Annalise made friends with students from all over the world and had an immersive, on-campus university experience that provided her with crucial insight into what she wanted her college journey to look like. In gaining her independence, she realized how strong her desire to remain in Texas and close to her family was. Armed with this realization, Annalise and her mentors were able to thoughtfully identify her best-fit for higher education as the University of Houston.
With MMH’s help, she successfully obtained an admission offer with a nearly fully-funded financial aid package to her top choice school. Thanks to her aid package, she was able to fully commit to her studies at U of H and graduated with Magna Cum Laude with a BS in Psychology in December 2023.
Of her overall experience with our program, Annalise believes that
“My journey with Minds Matter didn't just end with college acceptance letters. I saw firsthand what a powerful non-profit organization can do, and it laid the foundation for my career and instilled a passion for non-profit work and community. The lessons I learned—from time management for the SAT to the importance of mentorship and philanthropy—continue to guide me today”.
Since graduation, she has been employed as a data scientist in the Department of Development at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, a position that satisfies her desire to do purposeful non-profit work in her hometown. She hopes to obtain a graduate degree in the near future while continuing her work at the museum.
To the MMH community, Annalise expressed immense gratitude, stating “I want to thank you, the incredible supporters of Minds Matter Houston, for giving students like me the tools, the confidence, and the community to thrive. Because of your generosity, a first-generation student from a small school was able to make her dream a reality.”
