Chancellor Carranza Celebrates First-Ever Citywide Public Schools Alumni Day

NEW YORK — Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza today celebrated the first-ever citywide Alumni Day, bringing over 400 NYC public school alumni to their alma maters. More than 10,000 high school students—mainly seniors—at 53 schools across the City are meeting with alumnae about college and career readiness as they prepare to transition out of high school.  Alumni Day is supported by p.s. alumni, a network of 20,000 NYC Public Schools alumni who serve as mentors, volunteers and advocates that are giving back and helping current students achieve success.

Alumni will host round table discussions, panels and networking events in all five boroughs, where they will reflect on their own experiences and offer advice to students who are preparing to embark on similar journeys into college or start careers. Current students will guide these engaging conversations on various topics including advice for the first semester of college, best practices for applying to internships and general career advice.

“As someone whose entire life has been guided by the transformative experience I had in public school, I’m thrilled that so many of our alumni are eager to give back to their school communities,” said Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza. “Alumni can be instrumental in guiding the way for our students, and I’m grateful that they’re paying it forward in such a meaningful way.”

High schools across the City were invited to participate in Alumni Day, and in partnership with p.s. alumni, schools conducted outreach to their alumni networks. Events across the City will allows students to connect directly with individuals who have pursued career and educational journeys that they are also interested in pursuing. They will be hosted at five schools in the Bronx, 15 schools in Brooklyn, 13 schools in Manhattan, 17 schools in Queens and three schools on Staten Island.

“I am so thankful for the public education I received at Aviation and am a proud New York City public school alum,” said Erik Llivichuzhca, graduate of Aviation High School in Queens. “I’m excited to share all that I’ve learned since graduating with the class of 2018, and to meet fellow alumni.”

“New York City’s public school alumni can make a difference in their communities, and there is no better place for them to have an impact than their alma maters,” said Alberto Arias, Director of Alumni Affairs. “As a NYC Public Schools alumni myself, I’m thrilled to kick off this exciting initiative and expose students to the endless possibilities after school and beyond.”

Alumni Day is aligned to College Access for All, a component of the Equity and Excellence for All agenda, which aims to ensure that by 2026, 80 percent of students graduate high school on time and two-thirds of graduates are college ready. Building on record-high graduation rates, record-low dropout rates, and a high-quality pre-K seat for every New York City 4-year-old, Equity and Excellence for All is creating a path from pre-K to college and careers for every child in every neighborhood in New York City.

Through College Access for All, by 2018-19, every middle school student will have the opportunity to visit a college campus and every high school student will graduate with an individual college and career plan. The initiative has also eliminated the CUNY college application fee for low-income students, and made the SAT exam available free of charge during the school day for all high school juniors.

To participate in NYC Public Schools alumni events and learn about opportunities to support NYC students and schools, sign up at www.psalumni.nyc.

The 53 schools participating in Alumni Day are:

Bronx
Bronx Bridges High School
Bronx School of Law & Finance
Millennium Art Academy
The Bronx High School of Science
Theater Arts Production Company School

Brooklyn
Academy for Young Writers
Brooklyn Preparatory High School 
Clara Barton High School 
Cobble Hill School of American Studies
Edward R Murrow High School
Fort Hamilton High School 
Franklin D Roosevelt High School
High School for Innovation in Advertising & Media
James Madison High School
Leon M Goldstein High School for the Sciences
Midwood High School
Pelham Lab High School
Science Skills Center High School
The Brooklyn Latin School
Urban Action Academy

Manhattan
A Philip Randolph Campus High School
Beacon High School
Columbia Secondary School
Frederick Douglass Academy
High School for Environmental Studies
High School of Economics and Finance
Independence High School
Manhattan Center for Science and Math
Manhattan School for Career Development
School of the Future
Stuyvesant High School
Talent Unlimited High School
The High School for Language and Diplomacy