Alumnus Ryan Wang '08 Helps Open Doors to Student Access with Gift to Promise Endowment Fund

After graduating from IMSA in 2008, Ryan Wang, attended the University of Chicago earning degrees in Economics and Statistics. In 2014, Ryan moved out to the Bay Area to join Stripe as an early software engineer. Shortly after, Ryan also took on the role of entrepreneur when he co-founded Assembled, a customer service support platform that helps businesses and organizations provide and maintain exceptional customer experiences. Assembled has its roots in IMSA’s values of inquiry and creativity, and has seen tremendous growth and expansion over the past five years. Now employing a workforce of over 75 employees, a handful of which are IMSA alumni, Assembled will look to continue creating intelligent systems to support people helping people.

Ryan’s contribution to the PROMISE programs will help create academic opportunities and support for young, under-served middle schoolers who aspire to be future scientists, academics, and leaders. The PROMISE programs provide students from cultural, linguistic, economic, and ethnically diverse backgrounds access to educational opportunities that can help ignite their full potential and encourage them to develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and leadership skills. Through Ryan’s generosity, the PROMISE programs will continue focusing on equipping students with the best skill sets and resources needed to achieve academic success.

Ryan’s donation reflects his passion for IMSA, and we are impressed by his dedication to creating a lasting impact in students' lives. His willingness to support programs such as PROMISE that are working to make a difference inspires and reaffirms our belief in the need for more empathetic leaders like Ryan.

Learn more about the PROMISE Programs.

Research Experience Leads to Summer Project for IMSA Junior

This summer, Sukanya Ghosh ’24 will work with the University of Chicago’s Department of Medicine exploring the allocation of medical resources where demand greatly exceeds supply. Sukanya will apply empirical methods to evaluate the ethical principles of these allocation systems. She will spend time visiting university labs and interviewing professionals with one of the nation’s leading partners in the healthcare community for life-saving blood, marrow, organ, and tissue donor coordination. 

Sukanya found this opportunity through the support of IMSA's Student Inquiry & Research Program (SIR) which enables rising juniors and seniors the chance to pursue research projects one day a week throughout the academic year.

Gifts to the Annual Fund support transportation of our students to SIR partner sites throughout Chicagoland, as well as equipment and travel to research conferences.

In Memory of Emily McCord '03

Last year, Amanda Murphyao '03 created a memorial fund in memory of her longtime friend and IMSA roommate, Emily McCord '03, who passed away on October 13, 2022. The fund, “You and Your Mental Health: A Friendship to the End,” was created to support mental health services at IMSA to help ensure students like Emily find help to overcome their mental health challenges. The fund has seen tremendous support since its creation, and will soon begin awarding grant funding for mental health services at IMSA. The next $6,000 in donations by August 2023 will be matched, bringing the fund to $20,000 in honor of the 20th reunion of the Class of 2003.

Tribute gifts and funds are unique ways to honor someone, celebrate a special occasion, or memorialize someone who has touched your life. For more information on creating a memorial fund, contact giving@imsa.edu.

CJS (Jonathan) Hayward '92, announced the recent release of his book The Orthodox Martial Art is Living the Sermon on the Mount.

Ramez Naam '90, a global clean energy expert, shares his latest TEDTalk addressing a faster way to get to clean energy.

Lizz Dworak '11, lead author and research assistant professor of medical social sciences at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine, published a study about IQs. Check it out.

Todd Mitchell '92, authored What Writers Need to Know to be Better than AI.

Kendall Byrd '13, was the feature of LA’s Most Inspiring Stories. Read her story.