MARCH 2023

Dear familia,

Recently I was given the opportunity of running the NYC half-marathon [this was made possible with much support from friends of ADS.] I was able to reflect that this experience is very much like working at ADS.

Here is what I learned:

I took in the beauty of what is New York City. I moved with the adrenaline and enthusiasm that lined the streets of both runners and spectators. I cherished the moment I entered Times Square (as if it was just for me). I took a moment at the finish line to reflect and appreciate that my body could move in a way that afforded me this privilege. Similarly, at ADS, we could home in on everything that is difficult-- the things we are lacking-- or embrace the moments such as a senior earning her acceptance into Cornell this month, her dream school since she was in 6th grade. (This moment was probably the single most amazing moment for her to date.)

At ADS, we smile when a student is able to carry out a dissection in science class without direction. At ADS, we are humbled when parents cry tears of appreciation for changing their child's life. ADS is a special place and, like a half-marathon, we can count down until we get to mile 13.1 or we can just embrace the journey until the finish line, until graduation. When being surrounded by like-minded, mission-driven people, the journey becomes much, much easier. This sentiment amplifies when friends of ADS cheer and support our students from the sidelines, celebrating their and their families' success. And that is why I love ADS and will continue to do this hard work, this work of heart-- because I get to share my experience with the world.

Please read on to meet our in-house head magician, Kateri Baez, High School Operations Manager, dive into learning about Cherisse our Dreamer of the Month while hearing all the buzz around campus. Plus, we have more than 500 college acceptances to date!

Thank you for remaining on this journey with us! We appreciate you!

Gracias,

Melissa Melkonian

Founder and Executive Director

Photo of the Month:

Student Council Celebrates International Happiness Day

[Pictured above: Student Council members Patricia and Michael help the student body celebrate International Happiness Day.]

Faculty Spotlight: Kateri Baez

High School Operations Manager

[Pictured above: Right hand corner, Kateri enjoying an ADS opening school year tradition at the pumpkin farm with high school students and colleagues.]

When hosting The American Dream School’s open house events, Operations Manager Kat Baez often meets mothers who remind her of her own. 

When Baez was 12, her mother moved from their home in the Dominican Republic to the United States in order to provide a better life for Baez and her sister. She worked in a factory full-time and in a restaurant on weekends in the Bronx so that Baez and her sister could afford to attend private schools back in the Dominican Republic.

Baez’s visa to join her mother in the U.S. came through six years later, when she was 18, just as she graduated high school. Following a year of English language classes in New York, she enrolled at Technical Career Institutes (TCI College). “When you get to the U.S., you tend to do whatever job you can find,” says Baez. “I was lucky enough to have friends who taught me how to work on getting better instead of getting stuck.”

Baez earned a degree in Health Insurance Technology and worked in the insurance industry for more than a decade, then found herself seeking new opportunities for growth. “I want to get up every morning knowing I’m going to have to do something extra, go out of my way,” she says. A friend recommended The American Dream School and told her, “‘No two school-years are the same, so prepare to be challenged.’ And that was what I was looking for.”

Baez began as an Administrative Assistant but was promoted after one year to Operations Manager, in which role she oversees reporting and parent interaction, supports recruitment and also leads on special projects including senior photo and prom. This year, she organized a makeup artist for students who wanted this prior to their senior photos.

At an open house last summer, a prospective parent shared that her son is very quiet and that she feared he would be bullied. “It was nice to be able to tell her we have kids who are so welcoming. Every student finds their place here. We don’t just help build the kids upward, we build a sense of family with the kids.” As evidence, she pointed to the two American Dream alumni happily buzzing around the office lending a hand while on break for college.

COLLEGE ACCEPTANCES LIST

List as of March 27th

*Additional College Acceptances

• Alfred University*
• Arcadia University
• Barnard College
• Bentley University
• Binghamton University**
• College of Mount Saint Vincent
• Cornell University
• CUNY Bernard M Baruch College******************
• CUNY BMCC****************************
• CUNY Bronx Community College************************
• CUNY Brooklyn College****************
• CUNY City College******************************
• CUNY College of Staten Island*
• CUNY Hostos Community College****************
• CUNY Hunter College*******************
• CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice*********************
• CUNY Kingsborough Community College****
• CUNY LaGuardia Community College*
• CUNY Lehman*****************************************
• CUNY Medgar Evers College***
• CUNY NYC College of Technology******************************
• CUNY Queens College*********
• CUNY Queensborough College*
• CUNY York College********
• Clark Atlanta University
• Delaware State University
• DePauw University
• Drew University*
• Farmingdale State College
• Fordham University********
• Goucher College
• Guttman Community College************
• Herkimer College
• Hofstra University
• Johnson & Wales University (Providence)
• Manhattan College*****
• Manhattanville College
• Marymount Manhattan College
• Mercy College************
• Michigan State University
• Middlebury College
• Monroe College****
• New York University (NYU)
• New York Institute of Technology
• Pace University (NYC)
• Penn State University (Brandywine)*
• Rochester Institute of Technology**
• Rutgers University (Camden)
• SUNY Alfred State College of Technology******************
• SUNY Buffalo State University***********
• SUNY College at Brockport
• SUNY College of Cortlandt
• SUNY College at Geneseo**
• SUNY College at Old Westbury****
• SUNY College at Oswego*********
• SUNY College at Plattsburgh******
• SUNY College at Potsdam********
• SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill*
• SUNY College of Technology at Canton**
• SUNY College of Technology at Delhi*****
• SUNY Morrisville**
• SUNY Oneonta****
• SUNY Polytechnic Institute**
• SUNY University at Buffalo***********
• SUNY at Albany*********
• SUNY at Fredonia
• SUNY at New Paltz*************
• Saint Peter's University
• Seton Hall University
• Simmons University
• Skidmore College*
• St. Mary's College of Maryland
• St. John's University*
• St. Thomas Aquinas College
• Stony Brook University****
• Temple University*
• Tufts University
• Union College
• University of Massachusetts (Amherst)
• University of Nevada (Las Vegas)
• University of Richmond
• University of Rochester
• University of Vermont
• Ursinus College*
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University