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2022 Wallach Scholarship Recipient - Sydney

Sydney Pierre-Saint: 2022 Academic Inspiration Wallach Scholarship Recipient

In memory of Edward Wallach, the 2022 Wallach Scholarship was announced in June 2022 to The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology Class of 2022. Edward Wallach was a huge contribution to the community at The Lab School and beyond! He motivated students in academics, community service, and athletics and for that reason, recipients of this scholarship would receive between $2-3,000 in three different categories:

  • Leading athlete -  a student who excels in team sports and proudly represents the 223 community.
  • Community builder - a student who creates meaningful friendships, serves the 223 community, and has a strong passion in doing good in the world.  
  • Academic inspiration - a student who excels in academics and journey inspires others to achieve their highest potential. 

On July 26, 2022, Sydney Pierre-Saint, the 2022 Lab School Salutatorian, became one of the three recipients of the Wallach Scholarship, specifically for the Academic Inspiration category. 

Initially, Sydney applied to the scholarship for the community builder and academic inspiration categories. Within the 223 community, she tried her very best to become involved and get to know those around her. As someone who was new to The Lab School as a high school freshman, it was somewhat difficult at first to find a sense of belonging as most people had already known each other from middle school and established their groups for some time now. Nonetheless, Sydney slowly began to participate in various activities that led her to build a sense of community with her peers and staff. On top of that, her involvement in the school and greater South Bronx community led her to build passions that motivated her to want to do good in the community that raised her. Her personal experiences allow her to have knowledge in different aspects of life which gives her leverage in knowing how to give back to her community. As for academic inspiration, Sydney recounts that growing up, she constantly doubted herself and truly struggled in everything academics. Back in elementary school, she saw that she did not take her academics seriously. Her lack of academic tenacity and overall focus on school-related activities led her to become left back in third grade. From then, she began to lose her pride. She internalized all the comments about her being “dumb” subsequently losing her confidence in her academic abilities. After this incident, she was motivated to not only prove to everyone that she was capable of being academically successful but to herself as well that she was in fact not dumb. She learned that she had to unlearn old habits and build positive ones. Upon prioritizing different things that truly mattered to her grades and her well-being, she began seeing change. This turn-around in academic tenacity and abilities began to make her believe she was just as capable as her peers in doing good in school and that sense of accomplishment gave her fuel to continue working hard. As she progressed through the school years, she realized that she came a long way in her efforts into school and academic passions. From once seeing herself as “dumb” and “stupid”, she ended up graduating as the Class of 2022 Salutatorian at The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology. 

A year later, Sydney, a rising sophomore at New York University, plans on studying Psychology and considers minoring in Creative Writing with interactions in academia and creating theories. Upon finishing first year of college at NYU London, one main lesson she learned is to be in the moment. Yes, it is good to have goals and aim for something; however, it is also good to be content in the moment, indulging in the present, and not compare yourself to others. She also recalls learning to adapt to new environments and make the best out of every opportunity presented to her, just like she did with studying abroad and applying to this scholarship. 

She is extremely grateful for the Wallach Scholarship as it granted the freedom of not having to worry as much about financial hardships when it came to her college education. Applying to this scholarship also gave her time to reflect on what she has accomplished so far and what she sees herself doing in the future. Moving forward, if ever presented with more scholarship applications, she will definitely apply and utilize every resource possible. These opportunities will only grant her the ability to continue pursuing her passions, continue learning and furthering her education, and continue to grow as an individual!

 - 07/11/2023 - Anthony Ramirez Diaz
Eid Celebration 2023

Eid Celebration 2023

Last month, we welcomed the Mott Haven community to join us and the local Muslim community at The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology for a celebratory Eid-al-Fitr event! Attendees engaged in various activities like playing dominoes, taking pictures, enjoying food and snacks, and ultimately spent valuable time with one another. Thank you to everyone who joined us for the Eid celebration!

 

 - 05/16/2023 - Anthony Ramirez Diaz

Citizenship Legal Aid Partnership with CUNY

Arete Education staff and Board Director Raymond Sanchez joined the City University of New York Citizenship Now! initiative and Council Member Rafael Salamanca Jr. to provide legal support to 84 community members in the South Bronx to prepare citizenship applications. Thank you to our staff Gabriel Hernandez, Lizzette Cheatwood, Amy Arizmendi, Noe Carrillo and our Board Director Raymond Sanchez for leading the charge.

leslie rivas arete alumni feature

Arete Alumni Feature - Leslie Rivas

Meet Leslie Rivas - a third year student at Lehman College studying English Creative Writing with a minor in Middle and High School Education!

 

Her journey with Arete started during high school at The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology where she and her friend, Chanel (also an Arete employee), started up an afterschool Book Club. This idea came to be after Leslie and Chanel happened to be discussing about books they previously had read in middle and high school. Both had the brilliant idea to organize a space where a group of students could gather together and read books they’ve heard about and give an honest review of what they thought as they read. 

“Starting up a book club made me realize that I actually enjoyed reading and it also made me realize that academically, I did well in my English classes,” exclaimed Leslie. In retrospect, this experience, that Arete fostered, allowed for Leslie to grow a passion for literature and become an English major in college and aspiring to become an English teacher. From this moment forward, she began to feel connected with Arete as they helped fund the program and gave them the opportunity to propose different ideas for their book club. On top of that, she was able to see first-hand what Arete’s mission was - acquire brand new books that may not have been accessible through LSFT and receive small journals for note taking. 

 

During her senior year of high school, Leslie also formed part of the tutoring internship program. She recalls that being part of the internship helped her grow as a person and professionally. Around the time she had joined the program, she was still confused on what college she wanted to attend and what she wanted to major in. However, being able to work with students one-on-one made her realize that maybe she could go into the field of education. As a tutor, she also developed leadership and effective communication skills while also learning how to multitask. 

 

Not only has Arete helped Leslie academically, socially, and professionally grow within the organization, but also through external partnerships. During the summer of 2022, Leslie was able to work with Funfab where she gained more experience in working with high school students. Leslie is grateful to Arete for presenting her with an excellent opportunity where she could network outside of Arete. Here, she would apply the experience she had gained through her previous work within Arete while also gaining new skills necessary for the education field. 

 

Now, she is currently a Book Club and Table Tennis instructor for Arete. Her scope of work as Book Club instructor consists of  getting students to have an interest in different books and increase their reading scores. As for table tennis, she facilitates an environment where students are able to learn a new sport and develop many different skills, such as hand-eye coordination.  

 

“Through Arete, I am able to solidify my leadership and organizational skills by working with students and being able to run a club.” Leslie reiterates that these roles helped her flourish professionally by also challenging her to work with different kinds of kids, making her figure out and use different methods that work with each kid individually. Not only is she gaining personal skills, but also gaining insight on different age groups and teaching styles that she can use to approach others!

 - 04/12/2023 - Anthony Ramirez Diaz
Chanel de los Santos

Arete Alumni Feature - Chanel de los Santos

Meet Chanel de los Santos - a third year student at Barnard College majoring in Africana Studies and English!

 

Her journey with Arete started when she was a high school student at The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology. Her and her friend, Leslie (another Arete employee) had the amazing idea to start up a book club. Chanel asserts that starting up this club gave her a sense of responsibility as she had the tasks of curating and giving out topics for each session, sending out professional outreach emails for books and supplies, and coordinating events for the club. This would not have been possible without the support of Arete!

 

On top of starting up a book club in high school, Chanel also became a tutor. She wanted to become a tutor because she wanted to explore different fields and tutoring was something new to her. As a tutor, she developed the ability to be a leader and acquire skills such as outreach, problem solving, and initiative. 

 

During her sophomore year of college, Chanel formed part of the Arete Alumni Council. As secretary, she scheduled meetings, met with committee members and the president of the council, and kept an organized system to effectively coordinate events. Now, she is a supervisor for the Teaching Internship program where outside of logistical work, she helps interns in the program learn valuable skills such as lesson planning, mentoring, initiative and the ability to teach a student with various strategies. 

 

Chanel is grateful for the environment Arete fostered where she was able to professionally develop and gain different necessary skills like communication and networking. She has done a lot of communicating with various types of people in various industries and learned how to navigate a more professional space, as well as build connections along the way, thanks to the roles she has had!

 - 04/12/2023 - Anthony Ramirez Diaz

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