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bioquest program launch

BioQuest Program Launch

Arete Education has officially partnered with RTW Charitable Foundation to launch the BioQuest program

 

RTW Investments invests in biomedical research and products in order to add value to people’s lives. RTW Charitable Foundation extends the RTW Investments mission to include building a sense of community through establishing different health-based initiatives in underserved communities. All of this is done to advance science and research while also addressing urgent public health needs. 

 

RTW Charitable Foundation first began to work with Arete during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, RTW provided Arete with a grant because they wanted to fund grassroots work focused on removing  barriers that prevent children in temporary housing from receiving educational support during the pandemic. Arete was identified as a grassroots organization working in the South Bronx during this difficult time. In the end, $75,000 was allocated towards developing a high-touch and wrap-around support program, The Arete Hope Network, for 30 families in the South Bronx and Harlem, mostly F&T families. 

 

After the peak of the pandemic, RTW Charitable Foundation shifted back towards its main work in funding biomedical research and projects alike. This year, they launched the BioQuest program - an initiative in STEM education for middle and high school students - in collaboration with Arete Education, Hunts Point Alliance for Children, Weill Cornell, and BioBus. RTW Charitable Foundation reached out to Arete over the summer to invite students from the Bronx to enroll in a year-long program receiving STEM educational and mentoring experiences. This was an amazing opportunity for Arete and the students we serve as 1) we have never partnered with Weill Cornell or BioBus and 2) F&T students would be gaining an expansive exposure to the STEM field: engaging in enrichment activities to encourage and inspire an interest in science, biotech, and medicine while also building relationships with mentors and other students with expertise and interest in these fields.

 

The first event to this program was held on September 9th, 2023 where students participating in the BioQuest program were invited, along with their families, to attend a Kick-off Breakfast. This first meeting was a nice way to launch the year-long program as students and families got the opportunity to get to know about the program and get to know each other. The ice breaker and scavenger hunt activities allowed the students and families to go around and network with one another, and it was a nice way to make parents and families feel included as they got to know who their children will be surrounded by in the program. Volunteers also set up backpacks for the participants containing STEM and back-to-school materials. They were distributed towards the end of the breakfast and sent off for the Back-to-School Fair and BioBus event, in collaboration with Hunts Point Alliance for Children.

 

What’s next for these students? The BioQuest program has scheduled 6 events in total: 3 in the fall and 3 in the spring. The next event was a Career Day held on October 5 at RTW Investments in Chelsea. Future events include visiting JLABS with Johnson & Johnson, a BioBus event (mobile lab with interactive + scientific activities), exploring lab spaces at Weill Cornell, and a Science Museum Field Trip. 

Arete is proud to be deepening its relationship with RTW Charitable Foundation and its respective partnerships in order to broaden in terms of science in research and biomedicine. This amazing collaboration will give new pathways to young students for STEM-specific career opportunities and push the boundaries on what is possible for students beyond high school. This program also supports Arete’s mission with its partner school, The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology, of shifting to more career-connected learning as a way to address the experience gap our students face. This is a major step towards inaugurating an afterschool curriculum that prepares students to enter the workforce and provides opportunities for career exposure in a new area: medicine, biomedical research, and biotech investments. 

 - 11/03/2023 - Anthony Ramirez Diaz
hawa highlight (1)

Student Excellence Highlight - Hawa Fisiru

Hawa Fisiru is an outstanding senior at The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology who has shown tremendous leadership and excellence with her involvement in school activities, working with Arete, and earning an apprenticeship with JPMorgan through the CareerWise Partner Program.

She first heard about the CareerWise apprenticeship while she was in 10th grade. After being accepted into the program, she commenced her work with JPMorgan in 11th grade. Her apprenticeship is expected to continue well into her first year of college.

As a senior in high school, her typical weekday models a split school-work schedule. In the morning, she attends her classes where she takes multiple Advanced Placement (AP) courses and manages to plan senior activities and meet with administration as the Class Council Vice-President. While at school, she prioritizes her academics and also takes on an additional role of advocating for students’ needs and wants.

Once the clock hits 12 pm, she heads off to work. Her role as an apprentice focuses on working in corporate investment banking, specifically with trading and foreign exchange. Recently, Hawa was shadowed in her work in Manhattan and interviewed by a production team from JPMorgan and the Atlantic to discuss her time with JPMorgan as an apprentice and learn about her story.

During this conversation, she was asked about her time as an apprentice, what she has learned thus far, the meaning of family, and what got her to where she is right now. Hawa’s poise and brilliance will be used to promote the Career Connected Learning Program.

Not only has Hawa been a proactive student in school and throughout her internship, but she also displayed excellent humility and maturity through her involvement with Arete. She worked as a tutor during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic when learning transitioned from in-person to online. Every other day, she tutored two students in different subjects in order to keep them on track with handing in assignments and retaining the information during this difficult time. When schools opened back up, she remained as a tutor and took on an additional role of being a teaching assistant. Through these responsibilities, she learned to work with students of different learning levels and teaching styles. She also refined her skills of compassion, communication, and patience. Although these roles taught her that she does not want to go into education, it taught her how to communicate with others and provided her with a sense of fulfillment by patiently assisting students in need!

Currently, a lot of her time is spent going through the college application process. She is applying to various schools in the city in order to continue working for JPMorgan while also taking her education seriously. Some schools she plans on applying to are NYU, Barnard, Fordham, and Columbia University, Columbia being her dream school. Hawa expressed that even though the application process is arduous due to her various roles and responsibilities, she is still giving it her all to submit all her application materials in order to get into a good school post graduation. “It’s stressful, but I’m getting it done!”

 - 11/03/2023 - Anthony Ramirez Diaz
arete alumni feature - Amy Arizmendi

Arete Alumni Feature - Amairany (Amy) Arizmendi

Meet Amairany (Amy) Arizmendi - middle school alum of The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology, Class of 2012. 

 

She has become extremely involved with Arete taking on various roles and responsibilities, an indispensable team member and leader. She has had the roles of family advocate, registering people for the census, helping families register their children to Arete programming, coordinating events at different sites involved with Arete, ordering supplies, managing budgets, and more. Additionally, during the peak of the pandemic, Amy was involved with Arete’s mission of assisting different families during this difficult time. She helped with the distribution of groceries and provided families with access to laptops and gift cards to buy different necessities like toiletries, clothes, and household items. 

One main takeaway from her various roles throughout her time with Arete has been her mindfulness skills! She has learned to take things one day at a time and use breathing techniques when things get stressful and difficult to manage. This is especially important when dealing with important responsibilities and following through with the mission of serving underserved and vulnerable populations. Amy affirms that Arete has fostered an environment where she is constantly able to learn and grow. She has grown the ability to effectively communicate not only with her peers and coworkers but also with parents. She enjoys interacting with families and credits this growth and enthusiasm to Arete’s commitment to providing support to their employees. Amy continues to benefit from Arete as she is continuously being challenged and improving. She takes on more tasks and fulfills more deadlines which allows her to learn more and become more prepared for future events and jobs. 

 - 07/31/2023 - Anthony Ramirez Diaz
arete alumni feature - Mariyam Sumareh

Arete Alumni Feature - Mariyam Sumareh

Meet Mariyam Sumareh - LSFT Class of 2020 and a rising senior at New York University majoring Sports Management and minoring Public Policy and Management

Her involvement with Arete as an employee began back in 2020 as a senior at The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology forming part of the internship team. She was a tutor to three 8th grade students. Being a tutor provided her with connections she did not know she would have made. She connected with her tutees on a more personal level on top of providing them with educational support during the peak of the pandemic. She noticed that these tutor-tutee relationships helped her reflect on how she saw herself in the younger kids and made her realize that she could become a mentor to them. She made sure the students felt validated about their passions. She was not just a tutor but someone that students could lean on socially, emotionally, and academically. 

After being a tutor, Mariyam became a Youth Service Leadership Fellow where she conducted leadership initiatives for grades 6-12, helped with the adaptation of virtual learning and became a spokesperson to donors and guests. After this, she took on the role of Project Coordinator for Summer Bridge/Rising. During her 2021 summer role, she mainly did administrative work. Her other responsibilities involved outreach which included updating families about student progress. She also curated weekly vlogs for the summer rising program and communicated with program donors. She then got promoted to Program Coordinator for College and Career Access. Here, she oversaw high school student activities during afterschool programs and managed attendance for 400+ people. She supported weekly and monthly attendance reports for the senior leadership team. On top of that, she made phone calls and wrote letters to donors and also maintained a digital alumni database . Additionally, during her time in this role, she started up the Arete Alumni Council where they held monthly events, such as financial literacy, resume building, Feed our Needs events, and Alumni Day. 

Currently, Mariyam works as an Admin Operations Associate. She is in charge of various operational needs like keeping inventory on school supplies, ordering supplies and storing items in the office, and organizing electronic files (paystubs, alumni contracts, etc.). She ensures that students get stipends in a timely manner and administers the onboarding process of staff to ensure they get offer letters. Moreover, she serves as support for human resources responsibilities. This means that she tackles operational issues, creates guides on how to clock in and clock out, provides assistance on accessing paycom and timesheets, and produces basic employee manuals. Not only is she the go-to person for employee assistance, but she also helps the President of Arete, Sarah Benis Scheier-Dolberg, find prospective donors, have access to an alumni database, and keep alumni contact information organized! 

One thing that Mariyam is immensely grateful for is the ability to grow as an individual with the help of Arete. She recalled that when she first started working with Arete, she possessed a student mindset where her main goal was to just do what needed to be done; however, as she progressed throughout her various roles, she gained leadership skills as she took on more responsibilities. Through this, she has been able to tap into her leadership skills whether it be leading groups or leading behind the scenes. She is constantly pushed to do better and improve on her time management, organization, networking, leadership, and mindfulness skills. She is proud of being able to create a space where everyone is able to adapt and do what they have to do - something that Arete has enabled her to do easily!

A second thing that she values about Arete is Arete’s involvement in her life but also with everyone that is part of the organization. She became exposed to Social Emotional Learning that taught her that it is imperative to check in and make sure you and everyone around you is doing and feeling well. Having the opportunity to debrief and be mindful of these emotions allowed her and her colleagues to perform better within their roles. “Arete definitely cares about their staff!” exclaimed Mariyam as she explained that Arete asks their employees about their feelings and opinions on certain projects instead of just being told what to do. Being asked for personal input makes Mariyam feel welcomed and validated. As a former LSFT student and current Arete employee, she is able to provide a new and youthful perspective on certain events and makes her feel valued as a member of this organization. On top of that, Mariyam enjoys seeing that Arete organizes important events that are beneficial and dear to the communities they serve (Juneteenth, Feed Our Needs, hotline and family services, Eid celebrations, etc.). Also, the fact that Arete is expanding shows that they care about service and are constantly striving for more! One last thing Mariyam underscores is that although what she is studying is different to what she does within Arete, she is able to gain transferable skills that help support her career goals (youth engagement, consistency, empathy, being supported and being supportive). 

 - 07/11/2023 - Anthony Ramirez Diaz
2022 Wallach Scholarship Recipient - Sydney

Sydney Pierre-Saint: 2022 Academic Inspiration Wallach Scholarship Recipient

In memory of Edward Wallach, the 2022 Wallach Scholarship was announced in June 2022 to The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology Class of 2022. Edward Wallach was a huge contribution to the community at The Lab School and beyond! He motivated students in academics, community service, and athletics and for that reason, recipients of this scholarship would receive between $2-3,000 in three different categories:

  • Leading athlete -  a student who excels in team sports and proudly represents the 223 community.
  • Community builder - a student who creates meaningful friendships, serves the 223 community, and has a strong passion in doing good in the world.  
  • Academic inspiration - a student who excels in academics and journey inspires others to achieve their highest potential. 

On July 26, 2022, Sydney Pierre-Saint, the 2022 Lab School Salutatorian, became one of the three recipients of the Wallach Scholarship, specifically for the Academic Inspiration category. 

Initially, Sydney applied to the scholarship for the community builder and academic inspiration categories. Within the 223 community, she tried her very best to become involved and get to know those around her. As someone who was new to The Lab School as a high school freshman, it was somewhat difficult at first to find a sense of belonging as most people had already known each other from middle school and established their groups for some time now. Nonetheless, Sydney slowly began to participate in various activities that led her to build a sense of community with her peers and staff. On top of that, her involvement in the school and greater South Bronx community led her to build passions that motivated her to want to do good in the community that raised her. Her personal experiences allow her to have knowledge in different aspects of life which gives her leverage in knowing how to give back to her community. As for academic inspiration, Sydney recounts that growing up, she constantly doubted herself and truly struggled in everything academics. Back in elementary school, she saw that she did not take her academics seriously. Her lack of academic tenacity and overall focus on school-related activities led her to become left back in third grade. From then, she began to lose her pride. She internalized all the comments about her being “dumb” subsequently losing her confidence in her academic abilities. After this incident, she was motivated to not only prove to everyone that she was capable of being academically successful but to herself as well that she was in fact not dumb. She learned that she had to unlearn old habits and build positive ones. Upon prioritizing different things that truly mattered to her grades and her well-being, she began seeing change. This turn-around in academic tenacity and abilities began to make her believe she was just as capable as her peers in doing good in school and that sense of accomplishment gave her fuel to continue working hard. As she progressed through the school years, she realized that she came a long way in her efforts into school and academic passions. From once seeing herself as “dumb” and “stupid”, she ended up graduating as the Class of 2022 Salutatorian at The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology. 

A year later, Sydney, a rising sophomore at New York University, plans on studying Psychology and considers minoring in Creative Writing with interactions in academia and creating theories. Upon finishing first year of college at NYU London, one main lesson she learned is to be in the moment. Yes, it is good to have goals and aim for something; however, it is also good to be content in the moment, indulging in the present, and not compare yourself to others. She also recalls learning to adapt to new environments and make the best out of every opportunity presented to her, just like she did with studying abroad and applying to this scholarship. 

She is extremely grateful for the Wallach Scholarship as it granted the freedom of not having to worry as much about financial hardships when it came to her college education. Applying to this scholarship also gave her time to reflect on what she has accomplished so far and what she sees herself doing in the future. Moving forward, if ever presented with more scholarship applications, she will definitely apply and utilize every resource possible. These opportunities will only grant her the ability to continue pursuing her passions, continue learning and furthering her education, and continue to grow as an individual!

 - 07/11/2023 - Anthony Ramirez Diaz
Eid Celebration 2023

Eid Celebration 2023

Last month, we welcomed the Mott Haven community to join us and the local Muslim community at The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology for a celebratory Eid-al-Fitr event! Attendees engaged in various activities like playing dominoes, taking pictures, enjoying food and snacks, and ultimately spent valuable time with one another. Thank you to everyone who joined us for the Eid celebration!

 

 - 05/16/2023 - Anthony Ramirez Diaz

Citizenship Legal Aid Partnership with CUNY

Arete Education staff and Board Director Raymond Sanchez joined the City University of New York Citizenship Now! initiative and Council Member Rafael Salamanca Jr. to provide legal support to 84 community members in the South Bronx to prepare citizenship applications. Thank you to our staff Gabriel Hernandez, Lizzette Cheatwood, Amy Arizmendi, Noe Carrillo and our Board Director Raymond Sanchez for leading the charge.

leslie rivas arete alumni feature

Arete Alumni Feature - Leslie Rivas

Meet Leslie Rivas - a third year student at Lehman College studying English Creative Writing with a minor in Middle and High School Education!

 

Her journey with Arete started during high school at The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology where she and her friend, Chanel (also an Arete employee), started up an afterschool Book Club. This idea came to be after Leslie and Chanel happened to be discussing about books they previously had read in middle and high school. Both had the brilliant idea to organize a space where a group of students could gather together and read books they’ve heard about and give an honest review of what they thought as they read. 

“Starting up a book club made me realize that I actually enjoyed reading and it also made me realize that academically, I did well in my English classes,” exclaimed Leslie. In retrospect, this experience, that Arete fostered, allowed for Leslie to grow a passion for literature and become an English major in college and aspiring to become an English teacher. From this moment forward, she began to feel connected with Arete as they helped fund the program and gave them the opportunity to propose different ideas for their book club. On top of that, she was able to see first-hand what Arete’s mission was - acquire brand new books that may not have been accessible through LSFT and receive small journals for note taking. 

 

During her senior year of high school, Leslie also formed part of the tutoring internship program. She recalls that being part of the internship helped her grow as a person and professionally. Around the time she had joined the program, she was still confused on what college she wanted to attend and what she wanted to major in. However, being able to work with students one-on-one made her realize that maybe she could go into the field of education. As a tutor, she also developed leadership and effective communication skills while also learning how to multitask. 

 

Not only has Arete helped Leslie academically, socially, and professionally grow within the organization, but also through external partnerships. During the summer of 2022, Leslie was able to work with Funfab where she gained more experience in working with high school students. Leslie is grateful to Arete for presenting her with an excellent opportunity where she could network outside of Arete. Here, she would apply the experience she had gained through her previous work within Arete while also gaining new skills necessary for the education field. 

 

Now, she is currently a Book Club and Table Tennis instructor for Arete. Her scope of work as Book Club instructor consists of  getting students to have an interest in different books and increase their reading scores. As for table tennis, she facilitates an environment where students are able to learn a new sport and develop many different skills, such as hand-eye coordination.  

 

“Through Arete, I am able to solidify my leadership and organizational skills by working with students and being able to run a club.” Leslie reiterates that these roles helped her flourish professionally by also challenging her to work with different kinds of kids, making her figure out and use different methods that work with each kid individually. Not only is she gaining personal skills, but also gaining insight on different age groups and teaching styles that she can use to approach others!

 - 04/12/2023 - Anthony Ramirez Diaz
Chanel de los Santos

Arete Alumni Feature - Chanel de los Santos

Meet Chanel de los Santos - a third year student at Barnard College majoring in Africana Studies and English!

 

Her journey with Arete started when she was a high school student at The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology. Her and her friend, Leslie (another Arete employee) had the amazing idea to start up a book club. Chanel asserts that starting up this club gave her a sense of responsibility as she had the tasks of curating and giving out topics for each session, sending out professional outreach emails for books and supplies, and coordinating events for the club. This would not have been possible without the support of Arete!

 

On top of starting up a book club in high school, Chanel also became a tutor. She wanted to become a tutor because she wanted to explore different fields and tutoring was something new to her. As a tutor, she developed the ability to be a leader and acquire skills such as outreach, problem solving, and initiative. 

 

During her sophomore year of college, Chanel formed part of the Arete Alumni Council. As secretary, she scheduled meetings, met with committee members and the president of the council, and kept an organized system to effectively coordinate events. Now, she is a supervisor for the Teaching Internship program where outside of logistical work, she helps interns in the program learn valuable skills such as lesson planning, mentoring, initiative and the ability to teach a student with various strategies. 

 

Chanel is grateful for the environment Arete fostered where she was able to professionally develop and gain different necessary skills like communication and networking. She has done a lot of communicating with various types of people in various industries and learned how to navigate a more professional space, as well as build connections along the way, thanks to the roles she has had!

 - 04/12/2023 - Anthony Ramirez Diaz

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