WPY UPDATES

 Partner Celebration, Spring Program Updates, & More

2026 Partner Celebration Recap

Thank you to the nearly 200 guests who attended our annual Partner Celebration on May 27th! We were overjoyed to reunite with some of our beloved alumni, connect with new and long-term supporters of our work, and celebrate the community partnerships that allow us to engage 800+ youth per year.

Our speaking program featured energizing remarks from our Executive Director, a thoughtful speech from this year's student speaker, Liliana Hernandez Ramirez, and a powerful reflection from our keynote speaker, Jennifer De Leon. We were also elated to present the Waltham Family School with this year’s Community Impact Award in recognition of the long-standing, reciprocal relationship between our two organizations.

Lastly, we'd like to extend a huge thank you to the Waltham High School string quartet, our photographers (including WPY alumna, Haybi!), and to all of the other team members who helped to make this event a success year after year.

See below for a link to Liliana's student speech!

Career Exploration & Training (CET)

Connecting students to life-altering career development opportunities through meaningful paid internship experiences.

WPY Teen Mental Health Alliance students at their Ready? Set? Reset! community project event

The CET team has officially wrapped up another successful School-Year Internship Program!



The spring cohort of WPY's Teen Mental Health Alliance (TMHA) recently concluded programming with a community project focusing on battling end-of-school-year stress. Their student-led event was titled "Ready? Set? Reset!" and was inspired by results of the 2025 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, in which over 90% of Waltham High School students reported that school work and academics are the primary causes of their stress. At this event, all student attendees learned de-stressing techniques, including journaling, scrapbooking, time management skills, and how to make stress balls. The TMHA interns did a great job making this event both educational and fun!

The McDevitt Bilingual Mentorship Program also wrapped up with a final celebration for mentees with games, prizes, and a reflection on their year. This wasn't a final goodbye for the mentees, as the rising 9th graders will have their mentors' friendly faces in the halls on their very first day of high school.

Thank you to all the students whose hard work made this year such a success.

With the completion of the School-Year Internship Program, the team’s full focus has shifted to the 2026 Summer Internship Program. May was a productive month with some second round interviews between our students and employer partners. Placements have now been finalized, and notifications have gone out to all students. Congratulations to all of our summer applicants! We’re excited to see what this cohort achieves this summer. 

Wraparound Waltham

Collaborating to create a community of belonging and opportunity for newcomer immigrant students and their families.

WPY Wraparound staff members pose with Waltham Valor High School students at their graduation

As the school year begins to come to a close, WPY's Family & Student Engagement Coordinator, Bebelin Galvez, is wrapping up WPY's Welcome Classes at both McDevitt and Kennedy Middle Schools. Throughout the year, students have built connections with each other, met other trusted adults in the buildings, and strengthened their social and emotional skills.

As summer approaches, students continue to meet individually with our Wraparound team through our needs assessment process to ensure they remain supported and connected to resources during the summer months.

Referral and walk-in meetings are continuing at the Welcome Center. Since July 2025, WPY has welcomed 171 visitors to the Welcome Center, reflecting our ongoing collaboration with school partners and the support we provide to families and the community. Welcome Center summer hours will begin on June 23rd (see more information in the flyer below).

This month, WPY's Wraparound Program Manager, Alexa Cuellar, joined the Waltham Community Response Collaborative at the Boston Children’s Hospital Metro South West Community Health Initiative Partner Convening Conference. During the convening, Waltham community partners collectively workshopped different strategies to support young people experiencing homelessness in Waltham. The group also explored how the collective impact model can serve as a valuable tool in creating meaningful and lasting change within the Waltham community.

Opportunities for Youth and

Community Members:

Summer Hours at WPY's Welcome Center

National Grid Customer Advocates at Welcome Center

National Grid Customer Advocates will be available to meet with community members at McDevitt Middle School on Tuesday, June 9th, from 3:30-5:30pm. Please email Family & Student Engagement Coordinator, Bebelin Galvez, with questions.

Get Involved in Clinical Research Studies at Boston Children's Hospital!

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WPY's EIN is 04-3399437