RIISE

We are a lifestyle network building bridges between families of color & the culture of independent schools.

08/04/2026

Visit 4riise.org or check the to learn more

14 Days out from this incredible event, we are thinking about just how many milestone moments there are. Graduation activates so many types of transitions - moving away from family for the first time to college, or finishing college and facing down a competitive job market.

And not all of these milestones are academic. Parents adjusting to an empty room in the house and a vastly different social calendar, any person looking to change careers... everywhere we look there are successes to achieve and the success requires inner work.

Don’t miss out on this conversation about what milestones can mean and how we can show up for each other as a community before the success is realized? How do we maintain connection during and after moments of intensity?

We’ve extended early admission till August 10th. Take a look, sign up, and join us at The Marthas Vineyard Museum

August 18th - 12:00-2:30PM
The Martha’s Vineyard Museum

07/30/2026

Getting in was never the whole story.

Indy School OG - Gina Parker Collins + Indy School alum and college junior - gabby, met up in Manhattan to talk about the part of the independent school journey that doesn’t always come with a playbook.

Not just academic success, but advocacy, navigating what no one thought to explain, and eventually reaching back for the scholars coming behind you.

A reflection from one of our Brown Butter Collective girls got GPC thinking about that last part. So we talked.

No big announcement. Just an idea we’re exploring and a conversation worth having.

Because getting in matters.

Knowing how to move once you’re in? That’s part of the legacy, too.

07/23/2026

The admissions process can be scary, but it doesn’t have to be! Read the newsletter at the link in bio.

07/18/2026

This is a longer one, so save it for when you have a minute to sit with us. Parents sound off - what was it like for you as the consumer of a Private School Education, in moments when you or your student felt disillusioned by the process, the environment, or your own wants and needs?

What are the lonelier moments like for us? How do you access community when it can feel like you are in limbo between one school family and the next? And how are our personal circumstances as people different when we compare who we were at the beginning of the independent school journey to the end?

We know it’s a privilege for us to be on the Vineyard this summer, creating a space for families to open up with each other and our larger community. If you won’t be on the vineyard but would still love to share in the full conversation, please share in the comments or DMs any questions or stories this topic is bringing up for you.

use the to learn more about this event.

August 18, Marthas Vineyard Museum.
Lonely Graduation: The Journey After the Milestone with Dr. Christopher Dennis. head to 4RIISE.org or the to add yourself to the invite list TO let us know you’ll be on The Vineyard.

Thank you as always to our event Sponsors and Partners: Martha's Vineyard Museum Vibrant Health Riverdale Country School Horace Mann School Ethical Culture Fieldston School Dr. Christopher S. Dennis

07/15/2026

📆 📖 Lonely Graduation: The Journey After the Milestone. Book Talk with the Author and Community Workshop. August 18th at The Marthas Vineyard Museum.

What IS a Lonely Graduation? How much does that phrase encompass beyond the pith and instant relatability we might feel? What is so significant, and oftentimes difficult, about the journey after the milestone?

The conversation we’re having on August 18th is going to heal our community, we just know it. We asked Dr. Chris Dennis to sit down with us last week and talk about what the event will look like, the purpose and intention of this book, and what we’ll be experiencing and surfacing as a group at the Marthas Vineyard Museum. We were blown away by how relatable and electric even this pre-conversation was for every stakeholder in the room.

Sound off in the comments: who can relate? We cannot be the only ones shivering here!

Head to the or to 4RIISE.org to buy the book, add your name to the invite list, and add your thoughts and experiences to the conversation.

Thank you as always to our event Sponsors and Partners:
Martha's Vineyard Museum, Vibrant Health, Riverdale Country School, Horace Mann School Ethical Culture Fieldston School, Dr. Christopher S. Dennis

07/09/2026

The only one.
But, for the grace of God.
Consider supporting the family’s independent investigation.
Go Fund Me 🔗 in bio

07/02/2026

Our RIISE Summer Reading Book, Lonely Graduation: The Journey after the Milestone speaks directly to the transition after college graduation, but that post-graduation shift can feel familiar for many independent school students too as they leave a close-knit campus and step into a new chapter. We’ll be posting updates like these that illustrate the nuance of what Milestones can feel like in the quiet moments after.

Save the Date: Join us on Martha’s Vineyard at The Martha’s Vineyard Museum Martha's Vineyard Museum on August 18 for a Book Talk and Community Workshop with the Author of Lonely Graduation, Dr. Christopher S Dennis. Dr. Christopher S. Dennis Head to the link in bio to put your name on the waiting list and continue the conversation.

Thank you een-she-RAH for your insights as our alum moderator for our Wine Wednesday event at DTH!

06/24/2026

What happens after the milestone? Join us on August 18 at the Martha’s Vineyard Museum for Lonely Graduation: The Journey After the Milestone, a Book Talk & Community Workshop with Christopher S. Dennis, PhD. Swipe through to learn why this conversation matters for students, families, and our broader community.

After our recent Brown Butter event, we got so many messages from Parents and Community Members who didn’t hear about the event in time to register. We want to do everything we can to keep that from happening!

💌 🎟️

To receive ticket updates, screenshot the QR code on any slide or visit the to join the Save-the-Date list - we’ll email you directly when tickets go on sale!

06/14/2026

The Knicks schooled us…
Keep showing up, stay present, and reframe moments til the very end -as ‘yellow t-shirt’ did. However, there is a clear t-shirt winner.

We Indy School OGs 🧡💙 New York!!!!

The New York Knicks - World Famous - Congratulations 🏀🏀

Hard Won. Well Earned.

06/13/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined RIISE for Wine Down Wednesday and trusted us with an evening of honest conversation about educational choice, belonging, opportunity, affordability, and the future our children deserve.

Special thanks to our incredible panelists: Jenna King (Riverdale Country School), Jason Caldwell (Horace Mann School), Vanessa Prescott (Berkeley Carroll School), Kelly West (The Browning School), and Caroline Hubbell (Ethical Culture Fieldston School) for sharing their wisdom and perspective.

Thank you to our moderator, Nshera Tutu—Horace Mann alum, Cornell graduate, and former RIISE intern—for leading such a thoughtful conversation. And thank you to independent school alumni Janay & Summer for representing what’s possible when talent, opportunity, support, and belonging come together.

We’re also grateful to Anna Glass and the Dance Theatre of Harlem team for their warm hospitality and for welcoming our community into their space.

Families left empowered, informed, and with a deeper understanding of why independent school—and why now. 💙

Photographer: Janay Super
The Browning School
Horace Mann School
Ethical Culture Fieldston School
Dance Theatre of Harlem
Anna Glass

Address

New York, NY

Telephone

+19173702840

Website

http://www.4RIISE.org/

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