It is the honor of a lifetime to run the 129th Boston Marathon to raise money for scholarships to support students at Excel Academy Charter High School in East Boston, MA!
My name is Nicole Repp and I started working at Excel Academy in 2008. For the past 17 years, my work has been focused on supporting our brilliant, inspiring students to plan their lives beyond high school. As the Senior Director of College and Career Counseling in our College Access and Postsecondary Success (CAPS) office, I work with juniors and seniors to explore, apply for, and choose their next steps after high school graduation.
The majority of the students on my caseload each year (whom I affectionately refer to as my "Repp-tiles") are the first in their families to attend college in the US. Many speak a language other than English at home and work part-time while in high school to help support their families. They bring a wealth of experience, knowledge, perseverance, and dedication to their education and yet, are often underrepresented at the campuses and programs they attend. Scholarships as well as the individualized support from Excel's CAPS team make all the difference in why our graduates persist in achieving their goals at such high rates. Your donation contributes directly to this programming and to their success.
Excel is a special place where students and staff alike are encouraged and supported to dream BIG for their entire lives. Not only have I grown my career throughout my time with this organization, but I have also grown my family. I now have three beautiful children (ages 10, 8, and 3), the youngest of whom was lucky enough to attend Excel's onsite daycare for two amazing years. During this current 2024-25 school year, Excel has supported me to take a sabbatical focused on setting up systems to better balance the demands of a young family with the work I love so much. It's no exaggeration to say that Excel has invested in and supported ME the same way we invest in and support our students.
During this year at home, I have grown from a brand-new baby-runner (I just began training for my very first race - a 5k! - less than 18 months ago!) to a more serious one. Running has helped me build confidence and strength. It's helped me set and achieve goals. It's also just a lot of fun. And now, with the opportunity to run the Boston Marathon for Excel, it's allowing me to continue to support my students even while I'm out of the office, by raising money to help them achieve their dreams.
Thank you for supporting my 26.2 mile journey. Running Boston is a bucket list dream come true for me and I'm working hard to train and prepare for it. When the road gets challenging and the miles get long, I'm confident that this support FROM people I love, FOR people I love, is what's going to get me across the finish line. I am grateful for this opportunity and grateful to YOU for contributing and being part of my team. Let's do this!!