Bank Street College of Ed & Goldman
Sachs Prepare Students for Top Colleges
by Sybil Maimin
After four
years of rigorous academic, entrepreneurial, and leadership
enrichment activities, the 43 students in the first class
at the Institute for Leadership, Excellence, and Academic
Development (I-LEAD) at Bank Street College of Education,
are about to graduate. Known as Goldman Sachs Scholars, participants
come from six inner-city Catholic High Schools in New York
City. Founding partners The Goldman Sachs Foundation and Bank
Street hope to level the playing field and prepare bright,
highly motivated youngsters for selection to top colleges where
they can receive the education necessary for community leadership
and participation in the global economy. As explained by Maxine
Roberts, academic advisor to this year's class, parochial schools
are chosen because, “public schools get a lot of services,
but Catholic schools are seen as having a wealth of knowledge
about their students but not the services to help them succeed
in getting into select colleges.” The results, as seen
through this first class, are encouraging. In the benchmarks
of enrollment in Advanced Placement classes, PSAT and SAT scores,
and acceptance to top colleges including the Ivies, I-LEAD
students are outperforming peers in their high schools as well
as national averages.
The program
offers opportunities that would otherwise not be available
to these youngsters and includes summers, Saturdays, and
after-school requirements. The first summer involves a 3-week
residential academic program. Leticia Domenech of Cardinal
Spellman High School attended Polytech University in Brooklyn
where she studied writing, chemistry, business, and college
exploration and had the college-like experience of living
away from home. “It was very challenging, but
it all pays off in the end,” she says confidently. The
second and third summers involve the options of travel abroad,
attending a college program for high school students, leadership
experiences, or community service. Dyan Wright of Spellman
studied political science at Howard University. “I didn't
think it would be this much work but I realize that in the
end the work has a purpose,” she reports. Others have
attended an 11-day youth leadership conference in Washington,
DC, and some have traveled out of the country. So far, I-LEADers
have gone to 15 countries in 6 continents including Ghana,
Thailand, Australia, Chile, Spain, and the Sioux Nation. At
Bank Street sessions, in addition to academic enrichment, participants
take PSAT and SAT prep classes and college application and
essay writing workshops which include tips about financial
aid and interviewing skills. Two 3-day tours to look at colleges—to
upstate New York and to New England—are offered. This
hands-on experience is an eye-opener for many and opens up
questions about college “fit” which might not have
been considered previously.
The dedicated
staff of I-LEAD sees their responsibility as going beyond
helping the youngsters get into competitive schools. They
want them to stay and succeed. Maxine Roberts hopes to help
her advisees learn about summer internships while in college,
an experience “that mattered most for me.” I-LEAD
Director Richard Rivera concurs. “From my perspective,
the success of this program will be in four years when they
graduate from college. Getting them in is just the beginning.
Graduation is what it is all about.” He will also measure
success by how much “they give back, their sense of service
and helping others.”
At an open
house at Bank Street where the impressive young scholars
showcased their program and accomplishments thus far with
films of their activities and witty and sophisticated skits
and performances, Goldman Sachs partner Steven McGinnis spoke
of the “tremendous opportunity for students. It
will pay off and will give you a chance to differentiate yourself
from others. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do something
and please do not take the program lightly.” Speaking
to the many proud parents in attendance, he advised, “Help
them take risks. They will fall down but they will get up.
Victory tastes better after you fall down.” Bank Street
Dean of Continuing Education Fern Kahn praised the staff of
I-LEAD for their tireless work and good instincts. Addressing
the fact of the demands of the program, she enthused, “I
feel good about them working hard and being stressed out. It
means something is happening.” Participating in I-LEAD
are All Hallows, Aquinas, Cardinal Hayes, Rice, Cardinal Spellman,
and Academy of Mt. St. Ursula high schools.#