The New York Daily News visited the home of Lourdes and Jorge Rodriguez, the parents of Estiven Rodriguez of our Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School, for President Obama’s 2014 State of the Union address, which recognized the younger Rodriguez for his great academic successes.
Chalkbeat reporter Geoff Decker sits down with senior Estiven Rodriguez of our WHEELS school to discuss his trajectory from Dominican-born immigrant, to high-achieving student, to twice-highlighted Presidential talking point: first at the White House’s College Access Summit and then during President Obama’s 2014 State of the Union address.
On January 28, 2014, President Obama’s State of the Union address included an academic success story from our Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School: the personal story of student Estiven Rodriguez, a first-generation immigrant who came to the US not speaking English and who, after deep support from his school, is now heading to Dickinson College on a full-tuition, four-year scholarship. The President also mentions our College March.
The Brooklyn Eagle spotlights the successes of our Brooklyn School for Collaborative Studies innovative internship program. Results of the schools’ initiatives, including the internship program, are striking: out of 700 students at the school, 70 percent are from families living below the federal poverty level. Yet, they have managed a graduation rate of 90 percent, 100 percent of its 2013 graduating class was accepted to college, and 53 percent gained full scholarships to private colleges.
Chalkbeat reporter Sarah Darville visits our Brooklyn School for Collaborative Studies Model Job Fair, which she calls “pass-the-torch day,” when upperclassmen celebrate the end of the last semester’s internship program and help younger students through mock job interviews. As part of the school’s internship program, juniors spend two hours twice a week at a job, then mentor younger students in the professional skills they will need to attain their own internships.
On January 16, 2014, the White House convened a summit of education and nonprofit leaders on the topic of expanding college opportunity for all. President Obama and the First Lady addressed the attendees in an hour-long conversation, which the President closed by praising the college application march at our Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School (WHEELS). The College March, which originated at WHEELS, is an annual college-going ritual at all of our network high schools, which are in all five boroughs of New York City.
