This Summer’s About More than Just Sleep
By Kasia Gladki
When a group of teens was asked recently how they thought they’d spend their summer vacation, the answer was a unanimous: “SLEEPING!” Instead, these 42 rising high school seniors enrolled in Henry Street University, the Settlement’s summer college prep program – and are happy they did.
“I feel more prepared,” said student Jayleen Vega. “This was a wonderful opportunity and I really can’t stress how grateful I am for it.”
Four days each week, for six weeks, students from across the city traveled to Henry Street to prepare for the college application process. Some students, like Kristen Feliciano who lives on the Lower East Side and plans to major in film studies, had a five-minute walk. Others didn’t have it so easy. Joel Lopez had a two-hour commute from his home in Staten Island, but the help he received to apply as a pre-med major at Cornell University, made it all worthwhile. “I’m a huge procrastinator and because of this program, I got a lot of things done,” said Joelle. “I’m now more confident going into senior year.”
The intensive Henry Street University (HSU) curriculum includes workshops on Mondays focused on the college process and on Wednesdays focused on personal statements. SAT prep is held on Tuesdays, and Thursdays is reserved for visits to college campuses.
The breadth of opportunities at HSU makes it an engaging program, according to the students. “Our teachers, Raana [Kashi] and Izzie [Isidro Fortuna], make you feel like you’re family. They want you to participate and connect. They offer other resources that are really helpful and make you want to come in every day,” says Jayleen, who plans to study psychology. Joel noted that the individual attention given each student was valuable. “They didn’t say, ok we’re going to visit this college. They’d ask each student what they wanted to study and suggest which colleges would be best,” he said.
For most of the students HSU is just the beginning. The support they received during the summer will continue into their senior year through Henry Street’s Expanded Horizons program. “I like that HSU is not six weeks and that’s it. You can come back during the year and get additional help with the application process or just ask questions,” said Rachade Williams.
Instead of a summer of sleep, Rachade, Jayleen, Joel and Kristen (and their HSU compatriots) opted to get college ready. When asked if they were happy with their choice, the unanimous response was “YES!” Like her peers, Kristen is looking forward to school. “Now going into senior year I won’t be as stressed out as I would have been,” she said.
