Outstanding Students
Jessica Bouret, Urban Assembly School for Careers in Sports
Paul White, Urban Assembly School for Careers in Sports
New York City Department of Education's New York City Mentoring Program (NYCMP) honored Andrew Schwartz and Gin Ortiz as "Mentor ~ Mentee of the Year"
Jessica Bouret, Urban Assembly School for Careers in Sports
Jessica Bouret says her remarkable transition from a troubled adolescent to star student would never have been possible without the nurturing support of her teachers at the Urban Assembly School for Careers in Sports in the South Bronx.
Just a few years ago, the bubbly, bright 17 year-old was on the verge of being kicked out for her poor attendance and failing grades. While her test scores in the 8th grade were strong, by the ninth grade she had fallen in with the wrong crowd and was skipping school. Her mother would show up in the principal’s office crying because her daughter hadn’t come home.
Jessica says it was when her principal called her into his office and told her he was ready to give up on her that she had a Eureka moment. “I cried, because I knew that if I wasn’t in this school I would become a dropout. I asked him to please give me a chance as I wanted to show him what I could do.”
Jessica was given one more chance and in return she showed her teachers just what she was really capable of: her grades rose from the 50s to averages of 90s by the second semester of her sophomore year. During the summer between her sophomore and junior year she was selected to go on a trip to Utah led by Chris White, her science teacher, whom she credits with always being supportive and helpful.
That summer, Jessica, a girl who had so recently been a mere follower in a bad crowd of kids, came back a peer leader. “I liked doing it,” she says about the experience. “I don’t think being a good leader is controlling people. It’s about helping people, but taking a step back.”
“I was scared of hiking and water rafting. I was so scared I was screaming ‘I want my mom!’ But it showed me how to be a leader. If you are not uncomfortable, you are not doing anything. This whole year I was uncomfortable, but if you are too comfortable it means you are only doing the same things over and over again.
Chris White calls Jessica, who was the highest performing girl in his class last year, “the best role model we have. She’s very conscientious and helps the other kids; you can see that the other girls look up to her.”
During the Utah trip Chris (Mr. White) said he trusted Jessica like an adult. Even if she was scared of doing something, such as white water rafting, he said she met the challenge head on. “Nine times out of ten in situations like this kids see the metaphorical mountain and shrink from it, instead of pushing through like Jessica.”
A notable academic success for Jessica came when she was awarded “student of the month” in her junior year. The principal called her name during an assembly in the school auditorium and “I was so happy and I couldn’t stop smiling,” laughs Jessica. “I showed my mom I got student of the month! And she was so happy as well. Now she brags about me all the time.” Jessica’s last report card had a 91 average.
None of this would have been possible, she says, in a larger school. “The only reason I was given a chance was because the teachers saw something in me. It’s such a small class ratio of teachers to students and they could see my potential and had time to pay attention to me. All the teachers know every student by name, their story, and their history.”
The teachers at Jessica’s school only teach one grade, and meet frequently to discuss student progress, and meet with the kids, something most teachers at bigger schools don’t have time to do because they teach so many different grades.
“My teachers were always supporting me. Without them I wouldn’t be here. I’d be somewhere,” Jessica says warily, “but not here. I was really close to my teachers.”
Jessica, one of eight children, has also become a role model for her younger siblings, whom she often takes care of at home. She enjoys writing poetry and wants to be a writer. She hopes to go to Brown University and would be the first in her family to go to college.
Jessica is still enjoying the fruits of her study and ambition. As soon as her principal warned her she was in danger of being kicked out of the school, “the light switched on,” she says. “When people have doubts in me that’s when I love shining more, it’s like my motivation.” And, thanks to a lot of dedicated attention from her teachers, that motivation has been nurtured and recognized. Looking back on it all, Jessica says happily, “I still can’t believe how far I’ve come!”
On January 19th, 2006, the New York City Department of Education's New York City Mentoring Program (NYCMP) honored Andrew Schwartz and Gin Ortiz as "Mentor ~ Mentee of the Year" at its annual Mentoring Month event.
Andrew and Gin have been paired together for the past three years through NYCMP's partnership program between Major League Baseball and the Academy for Careers in Sports in the Bronx. Since their first year together, Andrew and Gin participated in many activities which forged their relationship – museum and library visits, special exhibits and baseball games.
When the pair visited the Drug Enforcement Agency's temporary exhibit in Times Square late last year, Andrew realized the impact he could have on Gin's life. "As mentors, we are dealing with very impressionable kids who look to us…for guidance," said Andrew. "To the mentees, we are road maps to success. When it comes to our opinions and suggestions, it is paramount we provide a positive outlook for these kids."
With that in mind, Andrew felt that his exploration of this exhibit with Gin gave him the opportunity to increase Gin's awareness and understanding of the impact that drugs have on people's lives.
Gin plans to go to college and pursue a degree in business management. He credits Andrew for supporting him during the college application process. "Although I wanted to go to college, I had not bothered going to my guidance counselor to talk about the process," noted Gin. "No one in my family has ever been to college, so I did not have the guidance at home."
After Andrew spoke with the school guidance counselor and learned that Gin hadn't begun to apply to schools, the pair had a serious conversation about the implications of not applying to college. After their conversation, Gin applied to more than 40 colleges and universities.
Gin knows that having a mentor has been a very helpful and positive experience. Gin added, "Andrew always commends me for accomplishments or achievements I receive in school….he does it because he knows that it will drive me to work even harder."
Andrew and Gin know that their communication and participation in various activities has helped to deepen their relationship. Andrew summed up the impact of the program when he said, "The mentoring program might technically end once high school is over but our friendship will never end."
When Andrew Schwartz was matched with Gin Ortiz almost three years ago, Andrew says that he was impressed with Gin from the start, noting that, "As intimidating as a business atmosphere can be to a high schooler, Gin stepped up and made a real effort to start a great relationship from the beginning." Andrew, an employee of Major League Baseball, and Gin, a student at the Academy for Careers in Sports in the Bronx, have gone to baseball games, school functions, movies, museums, and libraries. You name it. They'vedone it. Even more important, however, is how much they talk. They talk about everything -- school, friends, homework, the SAT, and family.
One particular occasion stands out in Andrew's mind as a moment when he understood the impact that he could have on Gin's life -- when the pair visited the Drug Enforcement Agency's temporary exhibit in Times Square late last year. "As mentor," says Andrew, "we are dealing with very impressionable kids who look to us...for guidance. To the mentees, we are road maps to success. When it comes to our opinions and suggestions, it is paramount we provide a positive outlook for these kids." With that in mind, Andrew felt that his exploration of this exhibit with Gin gave him the opportunity to increase Gin's awareness and understanding of the impact that drugs have on the world and people's lives.
With one more year of high school to go, it's hard to imagine Andres and Gin growing any closer. Andrew says, "Neither Gin nor I grew up with silver spoons in our mouths. We have and will continue to work towards success in life and business. But, since we've met, we have had each other. We've had someone to share out thoughts, suggestions, opinions, and criticism with and we are both blessed for having each other." (2004-2005 School Year)
Paul White
Urban Assembly School for Careers in Sports, the Bronx
GPA: 92
SAT: 1930 (710 reading, 650 math, 570 writing)
AP scores: Statistics (4), U.S. government (4), psychology (5)
Academic honors: Student of the Year (2004), for achieving highest GPA in his grade.
Extracurricular activities: One of 60 students (chosen out of 400) to participate in Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America (leda), a fourteen-month academic program that includes Wednesday-evening and Saturday classes during the school year and summer sessions at Columbia. Works fifteen hours a week at leda to supplement his family's income. Research assistant for a Ph.D. candidate in the government department at Harvard. Member, Model U.N. Wrote application essay about his brother's imprisonment at Rikers Island.
Sports: Linebacker on high-school football team (grades 9 to 11).
Applying to: University of Pennsylvania (early), Amherst, Boston College, Bowdoin, Brown, Case Western Reserve, Cornell, Davidson, Emory, Georgetown, Morehouse, University of Virginia, and Wesleyan.
His chances: "His SAT score looks mediocre for Penn—especially his writing score—but it still puts him in the right range for a minority, socioeconomically disadvantaged student. He has a shot at Penn, which likes kids who put their ideas into action, and he seems to do that. When you consider the huge time commitment leda classes take, the fact that he is still actively involved in his high-school community shows superb time-management skills."
Since 1993, the number of students applying to Columbia each year has nearly doubled.
