For nearly eight years, one Brooklyn program has had a 100% success rate in sending their students off to higher education after high school.
Boys Hope Girls Hope New York focuses on motivating New York City high schoolers who come from low income and first-generation immigrant backgrounds and providing them opportunities to thrive.
“I will have all of the counselors here to thank for my journey and proceed to head onto college,” said Trinity Mitchell John, high school senior in the program.
The program hosts a mix of both residential and after-school curriculums, helping remove the obstacles that many of these students face in their home environments while pursuing further education.
"That child is staying with us, that child is a part of of our culture, you know we provide food for them, we provide shelter for them, we provide a safe space for them,” said Lorzeno Sistrunk, executive director of Boys Hope Girls Hope New York.
A total of 55 boys and girls between Crysto Rey and Bishop Loughlin Memorial take part in the program where staff and volunteers provide essential educational assistance and support. Boys in the program also live with classmates Sunday through Friday.
In addition to daily study halls, the program offers a dining room, game room, and gym – all places where students can build community while excelling in school and preparing for college.