What’s Next for our Teens?

High School and College!

The school year may be over but, for many of our teen students, a new journey is just about to begin.

Gianney Ledesma has been a student at PS/MS 218 in the Bronx since her elementary years. This year, she graduated from eighth grade and learned that she’d been accepted into one of New York City’s top high schools, Manhattan Bridges. She credits her success, in large part, to the support she received from WHEDco and its middle-to-high-school transition program, Project STEP, which combines critical thinking, social activism, civic engagement, and academic enrichment.

As part of Project STEP, students receive comprehensive support during the high school admissions process, including one-on-one sessions with WHEDco staff, exam preparation for the NYC Specialized High School Admissions Test, and access to high school fairs. The students are also introduced to a wide array of high-performing public schools, as well as top private and parochial schools.

For more info about Project STEP and how WHEDco prepares students to succeed in high school, check out this Bronx News 12 story.

Meanwhile, high school seniors who participated in WHEDco’s Teen Program have reached a major milestone in their lives: They’re off to college! Once again, our Teen Program achieved a 100% college acceptance rate, with all of our graduates getting accepted into the colleges of their choices, including: Malik Schoffner (Alfred State College – SUNY), Esneri Acosta (SUNY New Paltz), Luis Contreras (SUNY New Paltz), Jean Paul Galan (SUNY New Paltz), Zahira Echavarria (York College – CUNY), Bradley Valera (St. John’s University), Mohammed Islam (St. John’s University), and Ceesay Touray (Hostos Community College).

Special congratulations to this year’s winners of the Garden of Dreams Inspire Scholarship, Esneri Acosta, Malik Schoffner, and Jean Paul Galan!

To learn more about Teen Program and why it achieves a 100% college acceptance rate every year, watch this feature on BronxNet’s Open!