Spark 2024

Parents Program Schedule

Dear Parents,

Welcome to Spark 2024! Parents Program takes place from 10am - 5pm on both days of Spark. Continue reading for directions to Building 66 and the schedule! Use this link to get Tim Tickets for access to campus. Tim Tickets are only for parents, not Spark students.

Check the most updated schedule at esp.mit.edu/parentschedule. Leave any feedback and learn about donating to ESP at esp.mit.edu/parentsfeedback!

Directions

Schedule

Speaker Biographies

Alec Lai

Amy Estersohn

Heidi Lack

Rebecca Lamkin

Matthew Benet

Michelle Barmazel

Yi Tso

Directions

All Parents' Program classes will be held on the first floor of Building 66, the Landau Building. Follow the red arrows below to get to Building 66 from Morning Check-In or Spark Help Desk. Enter through the connecting hallway between Building 56 and 66, and there will be a sign pointing you to Building 66.

Schedule

Speaker Biographies

Alec Lai

Alec Lai is a serial entrepreneur, MIT and Harvard alumnus, and motivational speaker, who speaks on innovative ways to understand the world around you. An "applied social analyst", Alec comes up with new ways to view and change your surrounding dynamics, including topics such as power, influence, motivation, and growth. Alec is the founder of Zephyr Business Group (www.zephyr.business), and on-the-side, he is a sleight-of-hand street magician. More info and contact available at www.aleclai.com and cheers@aleclai.com.

Amy Estersohn

Amy Estersohn is an educator, former college admissions officer, and a longtime presenter at MIT Spark and related programs. A New York native, Amy attended the University of Chicago and received a bachelor's degree with honors in English literature. When she is not helping families understand the subtle differences between institutions of higher education, she can be found serving on national book review committees or listening to exclusively 90s music. She can be reached at www.leadwithtalents.com 

Heidi Lack

Dr. Heidi Lack is a licensed clinical psychologist and board certified, registered art therapist in private practice in Lexington MA and on-line (www.DrHeidiLack.com) who specializes in consulting, coaching and counseling exceptional parents, families, college students, and some teens navigating giftedness, sensory processing challenges, Misophonia, AD/HD, Anxiety, creativity and more.

With training in behavioral medicine from Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, where she supervised and taught; as a senior psychologist at The Hallowell centers; as a SENG (Social Emotional Needs of the Gifted) SCG parent group facilitator, she currently collaborates with Dr. Gail Post in offering The Gifted Parenting Journey workshops, she facilitates the GHF (Gifted Homeschool Forum) professional network group and sits on the board of directors of MAGE (Mass. Association of Gifted Education).

She continues to support her 2 multi-exceptional emerging adults and can be found reading, trying to write a book on misophonia, meditating, writing poetry, painting, quilting, collaging, facilitating SoulCollage® and self-compassion workshops.

She can be reached at HL@DrHeidiLack.com.

Rebecca Lamkin

Rebecca Lamkin is a research health scientist working on various projects including several in teledermatology. Ms. Lamkin is a member of the board of directors for MAGE (Massachusetts Association for Gifted Education) and PIN (Parents Independent School Network) and helps to moderate Facebook groups for both organizations. She has explored various educational opportunities over the years for her young adult children.

Matthew Benet

Matthew Benet is an award-winning gifted educator. First through private tutoring, then through CTY, and today as the founder of edRev, Matt has taught and mentored over 200 gifted students since 2016.  

In July 2022, Matt founded edRev, an organization that focuses on gifted tutoring and socialization, with a focus on helping gifted students achieve their potential. Running edRev is Matt’s full-time devotion, and he strives to help gifted students thrive and develop skills to address asynchronous development – a common trait among the gifted. Matt likes to say, "giftedness is a double-edged sword; I teach gifted kids how to sharpen one edge and dull the other."

Michelle Barmazel

Michelle Barmazel is the co-President of the Massachusetts Association for Gifted Education and an education consultant for families with highly and profoundly gifted children. Michelle has an MPA from Harvard Kennedy School with a focus on gifted education policy where she gave her talk at the TEDxHGSE conference “Why Gifted May Not Be What You Think.” She also has an MBA from Stanford Business School and a BA from UCLA. Michelle regularly performs teacher trainings and speaks on Gifted Education and 2E.

Yi Tso

Yi Tso is currently the Director of the Educational Council within MIT's Undergraduate Admissions Office. He has been in this position for about 4.5 years. He worked for an investment bank in NYC for 21 years prior to joining MIT. He is also an alum of MIT ('85, Course 6-1), parent of one child who is MIT '22 (Courses 3A and 21H), and parent of another child who is currently an MIT PhD candidate.