30 Hudson Valley students honored by My Brother's Keeper program for young men of color
Thirty high school students from the Hudson Valley were honored Thursday with induction into New York's fourth class of My Brother's Keeper fellows.
My Brother's Keeper is a national initiative started by President Obama that aims to increase opportunities for boys and young men of color. Education leaders in New York have embraced the initiative since 2016, delivering financial support to community-based MBK programs.
"To the young men that are present, please understand that New York State MBK was created for you," said Board of Regents Chancellor Lester Young to hundreds of students across the state at a virtual symposium Thursday. "That suggests that you are special. That you are somebody. No matter what anyone says, always remember: you are special, and you are something."
The state chose its first class of MBK Fellows in 2018. The program selects 11th-grade students from each of 25 participating school districts, including 12 in the Hudson region. Westchester County in particular has embraced My Brother's Keeper, as all of the county's urban districts have active programs.
The fellows can lead service projects in their schools and communities, and later pay the experience forward by acting as mentors to younger students.
Greenburgh senior and 2020 MBK Fellow Eren Zulfikar took the virtual stage to share his experience. Zulfikar said that when he moved to Woodlands Middle/High School as a freshman from Yonkers, he was reserved and shy. After two years of participating in MBK programming and mentorship, he was confident enough in his own leadership skills to apply as a fellow.
"My shift in character resulted from the many lessons I learned through my years in MBK, and I am now never afraid to step out of my comfort zone, and I'm always open to experiencing something new," Zulfikar said. "Ultimately, I can see that MBK helped me grow into the young man I've always wanted to be."
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The symposium began with a surprise video message from President Obama himself.
"To the MBK fellows, and all the boys and young men who are here today: Thank you for working hard in school, even when it's on video," he said. "Thank you for helping out around the house, giving back to you communities. It matters, and everything My Brother's Keeper does is about making sure that the effort you're putting in pays off."
The fellows were congratulated by Young, state Education Commissioner Betty Rosa, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie.
Keynote speaker Geoffrey Canada, founder of the education-focused community organization Harlem Children's Zone, told the students how inspired he was that they could see so many state leaders that looked like them.
"When you're as old as I am, you remember when you looked at the leadership, it didn't look anything like this," Canada said.
"We've been at this together for decades, longer than all of you all have been alive, we've been fighting for the rights of our young people," he said. "I'm telling you, when I look at this moment, and I see that Chancellor Young is there, you have no idea how my soul sings with the possibility of what we might do."
Below are the 2021 My Brother’s Keeper fellows from the Hudson Valley
East Ramapo
Julius Nyarko, Ramapo High School
Jeremy White, Spring Valley High School
Greenburgh
Savon Dixon, Woodlands Middle/High School
Glenford Graham Jr., Woodlands Middle/High School
Monticello
Collen Barbato, Monticello High School
Donovan DuBose, Monticello High School
Mount Pleasant Cottage School
Elijah Walker, Mount Pleasant Cottage School
Jean-Ronaldo Jean-Baptiste, Edenwald School
Mount Vernon
John Aden Harvey, Denzel Washington School of the Arts
Deshawn Wallen, Mount Vernon STEAM Academy
New Rochelle
Richie Barajas, New Rochelle High School
Michael Navarro, New Rochelle High School
Miles Renwick-Archibold, New Rochelle High School
Quincy Simmons, New Rochelle High School
Newburgh
Giovahni Jackson, Newburgh Free Academy West
Jacob Lopez, Newburgh Free Academy Main
Daniel Rego, Newburgh Free Academy North
Matthew Worrell, Newburgh Free Academy Main
Ossining
Joash Brown, Ossining High School
John Jarama, Ossining High School
Peekskill
Lamar A. Kingwood, Peekskill High School
Tyler J. Robertson, Peekskill High School
Poughkeepsie
Jayden Chambers, Poughkeepsie High School
Elijah Johnson, Poughkeepsie High School
White Plains
Anthony Espinosa, White Plains High School
Randy Morocho, White Plains High School
Yonkers
Fidel A. Blanco, Lincoln High School
Khristian Crawford, Roosevelt High School
Iandel Jeremy Hernandez Lopez, Roosevelt High School
Marcus J. Walters, Riverside High School
Sophie Grosserode covers education. Click here for her latest stories. Follow her on Twitter @sdgrosserode.