EDITORIAL
Fulfilling the Dreams of Young Women
By Dr. Pola Rosen
According to Margaret Mead, it only takes a few dedicated individuals to make a difference in the world. As a society, we don’t often focus the spotlight on those individuals. One of the missions of Education Update, throughout our thirteen years, has been to “pay attention” to those outstanding individuals who are making a difference; Ann Tisch is a salient example. The poignant testimony of several young women who took the podium at the recent celebration of the 13th anniversary of The Young Women’s Leadership School (TYWLS) brought tears to the eyes of hundreds who filled the ballroom of the Pierre Hotel. “This school raised me; if not, the streets would have raised me”; “My essay described my neighborhood and got me into my college” [Gettysburg College]; “I’m from East Harlem. No one in my family has ever attended college.” According to TYWLS college advisor Chris Farmer, “graduates garnered $7 million in scholarship monies which will lead to new jobs.” The average scholarship awarded is $8,000 and helps break the cycle of poverty. A video showing college acceptance day in Farmer’s office was emotional; the girls cried at having fulfilled unimaginable dreams. In fact, the new mantra of TYWLS, according to founder and president Ann Rubenstein Tisch, is “We Have a Dream.”
Incredible statistics indicate that every TYWLS school in New York City (located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn; Jamaica and Astoria, Queens; and East Harlem, Manhattan) outperformed peers throughout the five boroughs on the middle school standardized tests in reading and math. About 1,800 girls are served, including a north Philadelphia TYWLS. The CollegeBound initiative is an important component of the program. It is a school-based college guidance system that Doris Davis, Associate Provost of Cornell University, says “should be in every school.”
Keynote speaker Kimberly Davis, President of JPMorgan Chase Foundation, is a huge proponent of single gender education. “I’m impressed by the poise and self-confidence of the girls. They deserve a bright future.” As a graduate of Spellman College, Davis spoke of her family and of her great-grandmother who was the first graduate of Spellman. “Sometimes we were poor,” she shared, “but never broke; broke denotes broken in spirit.” She added, “Education can transform girls into future leaders. My message to the girls is that you are the future stewards of this country.”
Newark Mayor Cory Booker, recipient of “The Man We Love” award, enthusiastically embraced the concept of TYWLS coming to Newark. “TYWLS is a cathedral of learning. Now in America, there is a waste of human potential. Thank you, Ann Tisch, for showing us the real way to save the soul of our country.” #
