Limitless

By Quemuel Arroyo, NYC Outward Bound Schools alumnus and Board Member

Nine years ago, I graduated from James Baldwin, an NYC Outward Bound School, with not only an exceptional education, but also the courage and confidence to make my voice heard.

My journey wasn’t easy: as a teen, I struggled to find a school that challenged me academically but also got me excited about learning. It wasn’t until I found NYC Outward Bound Schools that I found the combination of demanding and engaging academics that I was looking for.

Then, my senior year I suffered a devastating spinal cord injury which left me hospitalized for months, and uncertain about my future.

Thanks to the support of my school community I was able to persevere, and ultimately made it to graduation on time. As I rolled across my high school’s auditorium stage, still adjusting to my new wheelchair, I knew that in many ways I had gained far more than I had lost.

As a student at an NYC Outward Bound school, I learned that there are no limits to what I can do. And I learned how to advocate for myself and make my voice heard by those in and outside of my community, a skill I still use every day in my work as the Policy Officer for Accessibility at NYC’s Department of Transportation, where I advocate for the needs of New Yorkers with disabilities.

Now, as a Board Member for NYC Outward Bound Schools, I see students across our network learning many of those same lessons.You see, at NYC Outward Bound Schools, students learn so much more than how to write a strong essay, conduct an experiment, or pass an exam.

What else do they learn? Every day, and in every class, students at our schools learn that they matter, and so does what they have to say. Our students — 68% of whom live at or below the poverty line and primarily come from historically marginalized, voiceless communities — learn how to be powerful advocates for themselves and their communities; how to be people who can confidently stand up and respectfully demand the attention and resources they need and deserve to be successful.

The world is changing unpredictably. Issues such as climate change and economic inequality pose immense challenges which can only be addressed if this generation of students learn how to raise their voices and work together to effect positive change. By teaching them to do this in their schools, NYC Outward Bound Schools is empowering a generation of thoughtful, compassionate, citizens, who, like me, will continue to advocate for the needs of their communities, even after they graduate.