We have a bold vision of student success rooted in the belief that when students experience leadership development, enrichment and learning opportunities beyond the classroom, and work-based learning opportunities, that they are best set up for college and career outcomes beyond school.
Our whole-school model of success is rooted in five core tenets:
We support students to rise into their leadership potential, drive their own futures, and develop critical career experience and connections.
We support students to navigate each step of the college application process, as well as provide alternative career training programs for interested students.
We support alumni to persist and complete college and to develop robust career networks early in their career journeys.
Our goals are ambitious: we know the impact students’ environments and communities have on their outcomes, and that’s why addressing climate justice is a critical component of our model. Through our Clean Air Green Corridor project, a demonstration project that supports youth-led community organizing to create a climate- and racial-justice initiative in their neighborhood, our students are taking the lead on mitigating climate change. They’re transforming the built environment of 182nd Street into a community hub that provides equitable access to green space without displacing community members in the process. Through this replicable model, they directly contribute to making a more healthy, verdant, and vibrant Washington Heights.
