Your 2018 Reading List, Provided by Bill Gates

    Most of us can't live like billionaire Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, but we can read like him. Gates recommended four books in 2018—though some were published earlier.

    Leonardo da Vinci, by Walter Isaacson (2017)

    The bestselling biographer of Steve Jobs and Albert Einstein researched deeply into da Vinci's contributions beyond art, highlighting the breadth of his scientific, technological, and creative output. “Leonardo nearly understood almost all of what was known on the planet at the time. That's mostly because of his curiosity about every area of natural science and the human experience,” said Gates.

    The Best We Could Do: An Illustrated Memoir, by Thi Bui (2017)

    Gates calls this graphic novel “really impressive”. Bui is the daughter of Vietnamese refugees who came to America after the fall of Saigon, and becoming a parent inspired her to look into her own parents' miserable history. “I was struck by how the experiences Bui illustrates manage to be both universal and specific to their circumstances,” said Gates.

    Lincoln in the Bardo, by George Saunders (2018)

    Saunders, a long-time short story writer, won high praise for this novel. The book imagines the ghosts that haunt (萦绕) the basement of Willie Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln's son, who died at 11 in real life. “Willie's death after the Civil War made the president have a new understanding of the grief he's creating in other families by sending their sons off to die in battle,” said Gates.

Origin Story: A Big History of Everything, by David Christian (2018)

    This new book is by the creator of Big History, a free, online social studies course. It traces history in wide, sweeping movements, starting with the Big Bang, and it provides, in effect, a short course in modern science. This is a brief history of the universe. “David gets a little stuck on the current economic and political problems in the West, and I wish he talked more about the role innovation will play in preventing the worst effects of climate change,” said Gates.

Community Volunteers Program

Community Volunteers Program is a brand new service opportunity that engages volunteers in weekly service with community-based organizations in neighborhoods surrounding the Boston campus. It offers various volunteer placements that will allow you to connect your skills, passions, and interests with weekly service!

826 Boston

It is a nonprofit kids writing and publishing organization empowering traditionally under-served students(age 2 to 13)to find their voices, tell their stories, and gain communication skills to succeed in school and in future life.

·Primary Focus:After-school enrichment/tutoring.

·Opportunity Type:Remote.

Family Gym Program

Family Gym's goal is to provide families with young children(age 0 to 10)with a safe, accessible space to engage in fun, and age-appropriate physical activity.

·Primary Focus: Nutrition and Meal Assistance, Nutrition and Physical Education.

·Opportunity Type:Virtual/Remote.

Community Servings

Community Servings actively engages the community to provide medically tailored, nutritious, scratch-made meals to critically ill kids(age 6 to 10)and  their  families.

·Primary Focus:Food Security, Nutrition and Meal Assistance.

·Opportunity Type:In person.

Hernández After School Program

HASP involves youth from the Rafael Hernández Two-Way Bilingual School to provide   the highest quality of specialized services to meet the educational, social, emotional, cultural, and    recreational needs of its students(age 5 to 12) in the surrounding communities.

·Primary Focus: After-school enrichment/tutoring for multilingual students.

·Opportunity Type: Remote.

Getting into college is a big step for high school graduates, and it comes with a lot of changes. For most students, it's the first time they're living away from home and managing their own life. Not surprisingly, adapting to this new lifestyle can be challenging. The following four tips will make high school graduates better prepared for college life.

Goal setting

When setting goals, whether they're academic, career, or personal, re-member they should be attainable but not too easy, so that you really have to push yourself to achieve them, and feel rewarded when you do. Writing down your goals and breaking down each huge, long-term goal into smaller more practical ones can help make it feel more real, and writing out a plan for achieving it can give you a roadmap to success.

Interpersonal skills

At college, you will interact with fellow students, professors, librarians, and many others. Strong interpersonal skills will help you build relationships during this time, and get more out of them. If you feel that your interpersonal skills need some work, practice asking thoughtful questions and listening closely, develop your understanding by putting yourself in someone else's shoes, and enhance your self-confidence.

Studying

With fewer in-class hours and more on-your-own learning, you're required to really digest learning material rather than simply memorize facts. To be successful in college you'll need to learn how to integrate large amounts of information obtained through reading, do research, and write papers. Organization is the key, so if you are not someone who is naturally organized, set up your study schedule.

Budgeting

Managing money is a critical life skill, and for many, it is at college that they develop it for the first time. Start by estimating your financial balance. Then give high priority to the expenses on basic needs and determine how much money to set aside every month to cover those costs. Don't forget about savings…and the fun stuff(movies, dinners out), too.