The 2008 Scholars’ Dinner, held on August 5, was a rip-roaring success. The scholarship winners, their guests and the 826 crew all looked dazzling, the writing lab was chic beyond belief, yet the atmosphere felt informal and familiar — like a big, old family gathering. Books Inc. laid on a delicious dinner, and our very own Yosh Han donated a ton of It's-It ice cream and fresh fruit for dessert. The speeches by the four scholars, Terence Li, Andrea Torres, Brianda Castro and Geanna Mohamed, were all heartwarming and heartfelt. Dave Eggers interviewed former scholars Chinaka Hodge ‘02, Kevin Feeney ‘04, and Pedro Perez ‘07 who shared funny and informative stories about their lives in college and beyond. These past winners imparted words of wisdom to our four young scholars who are just heading off to their first semester of college.

We want to extend an emphatic and resounding THANK YOU to everyone at Books Inc. for their continued sponsorship of this elegant event. 826 loves Books Inc.

Stay tuned to the website for updates from Brianda, Geanna, Terence, and Andrea this year. They’ll be keeping us abreast of their new lives at school through our scholar’s blog: College Diaries.