College PREP for Washington Heights, Bronx and Harlem Youth-
Brings Together Voices from Atlanta, Bronx, Olympic Champion and Mexican Immigrant
Saturday, October 12, 2019
Columbia University’s Center for Children’s Environmental Health, (CCCEH) and the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, (HICCC) partnered with PS 4, Duke Ellington to host a four-hour workshop to help local youth from Washington Heights and Harlem with the college application process. PS 4’s Principal Stevens, enthusiastically kicked off the event by pointing to his two year old in the back room, stating,
“It’s never too early to start thinking about college…”
Over 40 youth and parents attended the event on a holiday weekend. To connect with the youth, Columbia University,
first-generation
graduate and recipient of the Gates Millennium Foundation scholarship, Beatriz Duran-Becerra,
shared her personal story of little support from her overburdened high school counselors and her Mexican parent’s reaction to her college acceptance.
“I decided to go to college and every weekend I scoured the internet for scholarships, I knew my parents did not have the funds.”
When I received my acceptance to Columbia, my father’s response was
,
“why do you want to go to another country, and how much does it cost?”
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