Alumni Success Stories
“At my last school, there were a lot of fights. When I woke up in the morning, I didn’t want to go to school. Now I want to go to school.”
Fawwaz Saeed
Class of 2008, The International High School at Prospect Heights
Fawwaz Saeed arrived at International High School at Prospect Heights with a lot of heavy baggage, almost too much for a teenager in a foreign country. In addition to the recent loss of his father, he was also a school dropout and behind in math and science. From the start, the assistant principal and school social worker helped Fawwaz to think positively about his life and his future while grieving for his father. Although his home life was disrupted by changes in living situations and the trauma of an eviction, Fawwaz was able to find continuity and stability at school. International High School at Prospect Heights became his home and his family.
In addition to his academic work, Fawwaz participated in several extracurricular activities including the debating team, student government, and the drama club, where he wrote and directed his own play. As an intern at the Office of Instructional Technology, he managed programs and helped to train teachers. When the opportunity arose for Fawwaz to do an internship at the DOE Office of Instructional Technology, the school administration helped him to create a special class schedule to accommodate his work.
The College Now Partnership with Brooklyn College provided Fawwaz with information about the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). Fawwaz enrolled in a business class at BC to help him strengthen his college applications, and with the help of some powerful recommendations from the IHS staff, Fawwaz was accepted at RIT. As a participant in the HEOP program, he will receive considerable financial aid, advice, tutoring, and the benefit of a supportive community while he concentrates on his studies in computer systems management.
Chime Dolma
Class of 2008, The International High School at Prospect Heights
Chime Dolma, a native of Tibet, had never attended school and did not learn how to read and write until she arrived in India at the age of thirteen. When she came to the United States three years later, she was registered in the 8th grade.
Chime had a sad and difficult childhood. She and her twin sister Adon never knew their mother-she died during or shortly after giving birth to her daughters. Their father, a Tibetan activist and target of the Chinese government left the country when Chime and Adon were young children, leaving them to be raised by their grandmother. As teens, the twins were smuggled out of Tibet and made the grueling trip over the mountains and into India.
After arriving in the United States, Chime and Adon were originally enrolled in Lafayette High School, but Chime was adamant that the school would not provide the educational environment that she and her sister needed to succeed academically. Alexandra Anormaliza, principal of International High School at Prospect Heights in Brooklyn agreed, and was instrumental in transferring Chime and Adon to her school. At the time Prospect Heights was a new school, and Ms. Anormaliza had to persuade Mr. Dolma that Internationals would take very good care of his girls.
Very quickly, Chime became a leader at Prospect Heights. She began tutoring students, who like herself, had gaps to overcome in their schooling. An “A” student, she was the recipient of numerous honors and awards during her high school career, including the Daily News’ Class Acts 2005 award. In January 2007, Chime and Alexandra Anormaliza were invited to represent the entire New York City public school system at Mayor Bloomberg’s annual State of the City address. As they sat on the stage, the mayor cited Chime for her academic success and youthful leadership.
Since arriving in the United States, Chime has been active in the Tibetan cause and is a member of Students for a Free Tibet. She has been accepted at Middlebury College in Vermont and was awarded the prestigious Gates Millennium Scholarship-one of 1000 recipients selected from the 13,000 students who applied to the foundation this year.
“Looking back at my years at International High School, I observed that I have changed from an unassertive and quiet teenage boy into a confident, responsible, socially active individual and leader.”
Eric Xianrui
Class of 2004, The International High School at LaGuardia Community College
Eric Xianrui arrived in the United States from Fo-Shan City, Kwangung, located in the southernmost province of China. After less than a year in the country and speaking very little English, he was accepted at The International High School at LaGuardia Community College. As a newly arrived immigrant youth, Eric described himself as “timid and nervous because I could only speak very simple English and I was afraid of speaking it in front of anybody.”
At LaGuardia, Eric completed the requirements for his high school diploma while acquiring credits for several college courses, including advanced math. A member of the student government and community volunteer, Eric interned with a human rights activist project, assisting undocumented youth in gaining access to higher education. Now a student at Columbia University majoring in Mechanical Engineering,
Eric believes that his internship is what “helped me believe that I can actually be part of the mechanism that will make a change in society.”
“One of the things that is important about Manhattan International High School is that you have to speak English because there are so many people from other countries who speak other languages.”
Luincys Fernandez
Class of 1999, The Manhattan International High School
When Luincys Fernandez arrived at The Manhattan International High School, she spoke very little English. An immigrant from the Dominican Republic, she had been attending a bilingual junior high school in New York City, surrounded by Spanish speakers and speaking only Spanish. After being accepted at Manhattan International, Luincys became active in student government and trained as a peer mediator. Her high school internship at Bellevue Hospital inspired her to pursue a career interest in mental health.
After graduating from MIHS, Luincys attended Hunter College and completed her prerequisites for medical school. At the college, she served as a member of the Minority Biomedical Research program and made the Dean’s List. Upon completion of her studies, Luincys planned to apply to either graduate or medical school and major in neuroscience.
Luincys completed her Master’s degree in Chemistry Secondary Education in the Fall 2008 and is currently in her third year teaching science at Bronx International High School.
“Being able to attend Bellevue Hospital for my first internship provided me with the opportunity to become a Spanish/English speaking interpreter. I was able to improve not only English skills, but also my Spanish skills. By working as an interpreter in the Hospital, I became interested in psychopathology. I was able to participate in individual, family, and group sessions with patients with different kinds of mental health disease. From this, I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in mental health.”
“Something just clicked, everyone was different like me.”
Alex Rodrigues
Class of 1993, The International High School at LaGuardia Community College
Alex Rodrigues arrived in the United States from Bangladesh when he was twelve years old. As a junior high school student, he felt alienated from his peers and experienced a sense of differential treatment, feelings that weighed heavily in his decision to attend International High School at LaGuardia Community College. At LaGCC, Alex found his comfort zone and blossomed, socially as well as academically.
Eager to immerse himself in all the school had to offer; Alex became a member of the student government and a variety of clubs. He also worked as an intern at the LaGuardia Media Center, a technical training center in Manhattan, and as an engineer’s assistant at the School Construction Authority. As a result of his internships, Alex discovered his love of technology and engineering, and decided to pursue a career as a networking engineer.
An active Internationals’ alumnus, Alex has given back to his school community in so many ways. As the Network Administrator at Brooklyn International High School, he oversees the school’s computer system and labs, troubleshooting and solving technological problems. Committed to helping students identify and develop their individual interests and to pursue them in a real world context, Alex mentors a “Tech Squad” of ten students. Under his guidance, members of the squad have become certified computer technicians, and many hold paid after school and summer positions repairing computers and managing networks.
“If a teacher at International High School hadn’t seen my potential, the truth is, I don’t know where I would be today. The teachers influenced me and others like me, and are what made the first International so special.”
Ygnacio Silvestre
Class of 1993, The International High School at LaGuardia Community College
Ygnacio Silvestre, a native of the Dominican Republic, is the first member of his family to graduate from college. To survive, everyone in Ygnacio’s family had to work, and a “normal” childhood was not an option for the young boy, especially after his father died. At the age of seven Ygnacio was selling oranges on the streets of San Pedro de Macorix to help his mother. “My brother and I were the youngest of six children and life was very difficult back then,” Ygnacio remembers.
Ygnacio’s journey from Santo Domingo to New York City was not an easy one. Fortunately, the program at International High School at LaGuardia Community College provided him with the tools he needed to overcome his dyslexia and the challenges presented by his lack of education. The support Ygnacio received from the LaGCC staff was critical. At one point, overwhelmed by economic pressures and the realization that he would need a fifth year of high school to graduate, Ygnacio considered dropping out. However, with the help of his teachers, he worked hard to master academic English, and passed both his classes and the required exit exams in reading and writing.
Ygnacio went on to attend the State University of New York at New Paltz. While he studied, Ygnacio held a variety of jobs, including positions as the building supervisor for the college’s recreation department, and as an EOP Peer Counselor. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology in 1998 and spent the next three years working for the New York City Department for the Aging. After receiving a graduate fellowship from the Hartford Foundation, Ygnacio earned his MSW from Hunter College in 2004. Today, the former orange seller is a Community Coordinator at the City Department for the Aging in the Elder Abuse Crime Victims Unit.
“I got a chance to learn not only from my teachers, but also my peers from all over the world.”
Ibrahim Diallo
Class of 2007, The Brooklyn International High School
In 2002, Ibrahim emigrated from Guinea, West Africa, to New York City, where he attended Brooklyn International High School. Ibrahim said, “While attending Brooklyn International, I had the opportunity to get to speak English without a fear of being made fun of. I got a chance to learn not only from my teachers, but also my peers from all over the world. I learned about their countries, their dresses, their food etc… My teachers engaged us outside the classroom by introducing us to activities they did in high school. Model UN is just one example. I was challenged on the daily basis and encouraged to work with others. Brooklyn International was like a family to me and the teachers were extremely nice to us. It is an experience that made me who I am today.” As a student, Ibrahim was given the opportunity to step into the shoes of UN Ambassadors and solve the world’s problems – problems such as crime prevention and criminal justice, eradication of poverty, and global health. As a senior in high school, Ibrahim mentored up-and-coming Global Classrooms students by helping them with the art of debate and resolution writing. More importantly, he helped them to understand the importance of viewing global issues from diverse perspectives. In May of 2008, he served as the Director of the UN Development Programme committee at the UNA-USA Model UN Conference. As Director of the UNDP Committee, he oversaw the delegate’s debate on the eradication of poverty and multinational corporations.
Ibrahim served as a producer on “The Documentary Project for Refugee Youth.” The venture is part of Global Action Project, a group that encourages social justice through youth and media. This collaborative media program is uniquely designed for youth who are resettling in New York from war-torn countries such as Sierra Leone, Burundi, and Albania. Through the “Documentary Project for Refugee Youth,” young people produce documentaries, narratives, and PSAs about the experiences and issues facing young refugees in their new communities. They share their media in workshops using activities of their own creation. For his part, Ibrahim explored the links between immigration to the United States and the International Monetary Fund’s social adjustment policies. His research included interviewing dozens of immigrants during the 2006 IMF protests. Ibrahim’s documented interviews now serve as a tool to help educate people about war and the refugee condition.
Upon graduating from high school, the Posse Foundation awarded Ibrahim with a full “Leadership Scholarship” to Trinity College. Now a sophomore at Trinity, Ibrahim has already made his mark. He parlayed his experiences along with his ambitions and established the African Development Coalition. The African Development Coalition at Trinity College is dedicated to developing and implementing human rights based programs in African countries.
We know that illiteracy breeds child exploitation. Ibrahim also understands there are added obstacles facing African youth – many of which are very basic needs. To address these needs, the African Development Coalition is raising funds to help restore inadequate schoolhouses in Western Africa. The group aims to travel to Africa this summer to help renovate school buildings, build desks, and distribute teaching materials. They will engage local students in the project thereby allowing them to literally take personal ownership of their education.
Earlier this year, Ibrahim wrote to both US presidential candidates. He told them “As a son of Africa, living in America, I feel obligated to champion the needs of Africa, and I promise to continue to do my part. With the commitment of the United States, I am hopeful that a better environment can exist for many African children to live, dream, and become vehicles for peace and growth in their own communities. As President, I urge you to call on Americans and the rest of the world to do their part in helping to make Africa, and ultimately the world, a better place.”
Youdelka Jean
Class of 2002, The Brooklyn International High School
My name is Youdelka Jean. I was born in Port-au-Prince Haiti, the first of four children. I immigrated to America at the age of 14 and lived in Brooklyn, NY. The anecdotes of my life are slowly fading as the years go by, however, the memories, which have become “memories of memories”, I cling on to are those where I have learned that nothing was made easy before it was difficult.
I was very fond of learning from an early age. As a young woman, growing up in America with little English was very hard. My first piece of identification in America was a library card. I was determined on improving my English skills. Along with my sisters, I attended Gladstone H. Atwell (Ms. 61), in Brooklyn, NY for a year and an intensive English language program at City Technical College, the summer prior to attending Brooklyn International High School (BIHS) in 1998. At BIHS, a new world opened. I was exposed to a cosmopolitan atmosphere. I met students from all over the world, and still today many of them have remained close friends. During the years at BIHS, I took full advantage of all the resources at my disposal to achieve my dreams by making my passions for life a reality. I participated in my extra-curricular activities and volunteered at many non-profit organizations. I worked with students from different walks of life. I learned life-learning skills. One of the things most challenging for me during my early years at BIHS, was working in groups. There were times, I had to put my needs aside to help a fellow classmate who was struggling with a homework. The skills I have acquired while at BIHS have taught me the true definition of a leader, that is, to be a good leader one has to learn how to be a servant first.
I graduated from BIHS in 2002 and attended Hartwick College in Oneonta, NY for one year and transferred to Seton Hall in the Fall of 2003. I earned a B.A. in Public Relations with a minor in Diplomacy and International Relations in 2006. During my junior year at Seton Hall, I started a not-for-profit organization called Young Haitian Horizon. Its mission was to support Haitian American students in high school with financial and academic difficulties by helping them discover new avenues to further their goals. I primarily worked with students at BIHS. It was there I discovered what my true passion for life was. Working with these students and the collaboration from the school administrative staff, gave me great joy in teaching others and helping them achieve their dreams. Prior to arriving in America, I have witnessed many injustices done to women and children. I saw how not having access to a proper education can cripple one’s dreams and ostracize another from society. I took an oath to educate myself and to become an advocate for education.
That solemn oath is what brought me to become an I-START apprentice in 2008. As an apprentice, I now work at the International High School Prospect Heights in Brooklyn, NY. I co-teach 9-10th grade global studies and advise the Haitian Club. The work I do there is the beginning of a long-life dream. I enjoy working as a teacher and will continue to do so. The collaborations from colleagues and close friends have given me especially great pleasure to work at IHS Prospect Heights. I am also learning a lot from my students and I hope they are learning as much from me.
