The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

College

Back to College Reflections ‘The Pause Button’ … and Accepting Change

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Me, just chilling at home, like I’ve been
doing for MONTHS.

Growing up, I was always that kid who called their mom to pick them up from sleepovers. I don’t know if it was because I didn’t like being away from home or because I missed my parents too much. Maybe it was a combination of both.

It’s funny because I was the one who started researching sleepaway camps and eventually found the one that my sister and I went to. I think it’s because I felt like it was something that big kids do. And yet, every phone call would end with me gulping down my tears, every visitor’s day would end with a counselor needing to calm me down and one year, every night I would fall asleep listening to my parent’s wedding song. It’s okay, laugh at me. My parents do.

When it came time for me to go away to college, I was so nervous. Would I be okay on my own? Surprisingly, I was fine! I mean, I ended up transferring but that’s a story for another time.

Like people say when relationships fall through, I’ve come to the realization that it’s not “you,” it’s me. It wasn’t where I was sleeping over or the summer camp I went to. I am just a homebody. I like having my two feet on the ground where I am most comfortable.

So when COVID hit and the world came to a halt and all college students were sent home, I really wasn’t devastated by the move.

I was made for this!

While a lot of my friends cried and were really sad to leave college, I came to terms with it pretty fast. Yes, I was sad that I’d be missing my first spring in Boston. Yes, I was sad because I finally felt like I found my groove in a new city and was finally enjoying college and it was put on pause. But…

I get to hang out with my twin sister, my parents and my dog? Sleep in my own bed? Not have to shower with shower shoes? This was a deal that I could be okay with.

Being someone that loves a routine and hates change, I found a good system at home that I have stuck with since March that consists of exercising daily, making pancakes way too often and putting most of my energy into my blog (shameless plug for operationhappinessblog.com or @operationhappinessblog on Instagram). Oh yeah, I also had online classes I had to squeeze in. But those didn’t cause any stress, just a lot of snack breaks and a severe focusing problem toward the end.

Initially, I would talk with my friends from school 24/7. It was like we never left. But as the months went on, I noticed that every day it would basically be the same: Hey, miss you! What’s new? Nothing? Same.

It became harder to talk to my friends every single day when there was literally nothing else to say. How was texting supposed to be the main form of communication I’d have with them for the next six months? Long distance is hard, especially when both parties are stuck at home doing nothing.

While I cherish my friendships greatly, if you know me, you know how important my family is to me. In high school, there were plenty of Friday nights where I said no to plans with friends because I would rather sit on the couch with my parents, eat candy and watch a movie.

Well, as you can imagine, there’s been plenty of candy eaten and plenty of couch sitting since March as a family. My parents were no longer empty nesters for a span of six months and I suddenly became attached to being home more than ever.

I was content. I couldn’t relate to the feelings of my sister or peers who were saying they just HAD to leave home and go back to school. Of course I want to go back, see my friends, decorate my apartment and eat from my favorite takeout place. I also know that if we were sent home again, I would be totally fine.

I can’t help but worry that leaving for my junior year of college is going to be much harder than leaving for school my freshman year. Things have changed. The world has changed. I’ve changed.

School is inevitably going to be different because of the times we are in. But I have a feeling that my habits will remain the same, now more than ever…me, sitting on my nonexistent couch because my apartment is the size of a toddler’s shoebox, eating candy and watching a movie with my roommates. Sorry Mom and Dad, you’ve been replaced. But I’ll be home soon.

How the Horace Greeley Scholarship Fund Helps Students Attend College

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Upcoming March 20th Fundraiser Plays A Crucial Role 

As college fees continue to grow faster than inflation, it’s no surprise that some families, even in communities like Chappaqua, will struggle to afford the hefty price tags. What sets Chappaqua apart, though, is a beloved community resource that since 1946 has been there to help many students bridge the gap between what their families can afford, aid provided by other sources such as colleges and universities themselves, and the price they actually are required to pay: the Horace Greeley Scholarship Fund.

“I grew up in a single-mom household and my mom didn’t have much money at all,” Horace Greeley grad Andrew Santana said. “I thought college wasn’t even an option for me. (The fund) really gave me more than money–they gave me hope.”

Today, after graduating from SUNY Geneseo and law school at the University of Dayton, Santana practices civil litigation and criminal law in Cincinnati. This spring the benefit for the Horace Greeley Scholarship Fund will be held at Brae Burn Country Club in Purchase on March 20, and Linda and Ed Bosco, as well as Patrick Dougherty, will be honored. The Boscos will receive the Taylor Family Award, and Dougherty will receive, unfortunately posthumously, the Ed Habermann Award.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF HGHS

Raising Funds

Last year, the benefit leadership committee raised more than $140,000. “Every year we have a benefit and we’re expecting over 350 friends and neighbors,” Scottie Guerney, president of the board of the HGSF, said, describing the honorees as having “really stood out in their gifts of service to the community. They are really incredible.”

Last year, the fund awarded more than $300,000 to students who had financial need beyond what financial aid and scholarships supplied. “And there was still need to be met,” Guerney said.

Besides the benefit, the fund has a few other ways it accumulates money. SHARE, the major student community service organization at Horace Greeley High School, runs an annual spelling bee and donates the proceeds. There’s also a game night in the fall. “It’s much smaller but to us everything counts,” Guerney said.

Publicizing the Scholarship to Students

Rebecca Mullen, chair of the counseling department at Horace Greeley High School, said her department makes sure students and families know about the HGSF in a variety of ways, beginning in ninth grade. “Families become aware of it as soon as they get to Greeley,” Mullen said. “The counseling department is very supportive of the scholarship fund and we work very closely with it – we love working with the parents that organize the fund.”

At the annual Night Meetings held for each grade, a representative from the fund will make a 2-3 minute presentation. Additionally, the fund is highlighted in the counseling department’s newsletter, Guide Lines. Then, when juniors and their families come in for meetings to discuss the college process, once again they are told about the fund and when appropriate, encouraged to apply.

Of course, Mullen said she doesn’t know which students become recipients of the HGSF unless they choose to share that information with her. The process and distributions are entirely confidential. “We have as a subset of our fund a small and entirely confidential grants committee,” Guerney said. The committee works with an expert in college financial aid.

Guerney previously served two years as board vice president and several years before that as a member of the 27-person board. Currently, her own children attend Bell and Grafflin. Guerney joined the board after meeting a member of the board of education who suggested it. “He said he thought I’d really connect well and be interested in the scholarship fund,” Guerney said, adding that she has a background in teaching.

“We’d love to meet the need for everyone, so every Greeley grad can obtain a college education,” Guerney said. “We are big proponents of the scholarship fund because we’ve seen it be life-changing for students,” Mullen said. “It really is an amazing resource that makes Greeley very special.”

Guerney notes that the recipients of the fund have said it has really changed their lives. “It’s amazing how generous our community is,” Guerney said. “And the generosity of the community has made them want to pay that forward and that’s a beautiful sentiment.”

Providing Hope

“Given the option to attend college – your future is a world apart what it could have been,” Santana said. “People think of Chappaqua as a place where people have money. They don’t realize that a lot of people, without the Horace Greeley Scholarship Fund, just would not be able to attend college.”

 

Latino U College Access: Dreams Come True

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Helping First-Generation Students Unlock Their Potential

PHOTOS in this feature are Courtesy of Latino U.

“We’re trying to make the starting lines more equal; if it’s a race, not everyone is running with the same pair of sneakers.”

Shirley Acevedo Buontempo understands challenges faced by low-income students seeking higher education, but Latino U College Access (“LUCA”), her Westchester nonprofit, is committed to increasing enrollment and completion for Latino youth who are first in their family to attend college. Through educational programs, advocacy and collaboration with partner school districts, businesses and volunteers, LUCA opens doors previously unimaginable.

“Our first-generation scholars are more than just children: they’re translators, have an incredible amount of family obligation, and have maturity beyond their years,” said Buontempo, LUCA’s founder and CEO. But they lack knowledge about their options.

“When our first-gen scholars cry, they’re crying for what their parents and grandparents have sacrificed. We’re moved by them – their awesome sense of responsibility and recognition of how this next step can change their lives.”

A Glaring Need, And a Vision

Buontempo, Puerto Rico-born but Bronx-bred, was first in her own family to attend college: “as a first-gen married to a first-gen Italian-American, education opened doors to opportunity we never dreamed of.”

After working in marketing and advertising, Buontempo pursued a Masters in Public Administration at Pace University examining higher education challenges and success among Latinos, inspired to address both financial considerations and cultural ones like reluctance to stray far from home.

Buontempo obtained nonprofit designation in 2012, launching a pilot program – an English/Spanish information session on college options–at Fox Lane High School, but recognized a need for individualized attention.

With an educational consultant, she sought to identify “what resources do more affluent families have access to and how can we make that available to low-income, underrepresented students?” The model for LUCA “college coaching” was born.

Eligibility & Introducing the Basics

LUCA promptly expanded to three majority-Hispanic Westchester high schools: Ossining, White Plains and Sleepy Hollow.  Juniors nominated by guidance counselors at partner schools must demonstrate academic potential (3.5 GPA with honors/AP courses), be first in their family to attend a U.S. college, and qualify for free or reduced lunch. This year, more than 100 students were nominated, 60 applied, and 40 chosen as LUCA’s Class of 2020, growing each year from only two in 2012.

LUCA scholars attend a weeklong July “College Knowledge” Orientation at Pace University, which provides classroom and computer lab space. Workshops expose them to online search tools, campus resources, financial aid, college lists, and the Common Application. Scholars also network with first-generation professionals from corporate partners like MasterCard and Morgan Stanley, and have access to free summer SAT preparation classes and essay brainstorming seminars.

College Coaching: The Key to Scholar Success

LUCA’s small staff works virtually around the clock, but volunteers enable its outreach, with almost 100 community members trained to support administratively, at information sessions and supply drives, or with financial aid applications.

Noting vital collaboration between LUCA’s partner school districts, volunteers, libraries and corporate sponsors, Buontempo stressed “the power of partnership–engaging the entire community for the benefit of the children. Their success is our success.”

College coaches from Chappaqua, Armonk, Briarcliff and elsewhere develop close relationships with students, providing individualized attention to detail, personality and passion Buontempo envisioned. Supported by Deputy Director Diane Rosenthal and College Access Program Manager Emily Latainer, coaches get to know scholars over the summer, exposing them to colleges they’ve never heard of or thought were beyond their reach academically or financially. College lists are created, visits encouraged, and personal statements started. Coaches also organize the many pieces of the process, from Common Application accounts to standardized testing, interviews and college “fly-in” programs for students from low-income, diverse backgrounds.

College coach Ellen Lynch loves having real impact on a young life: her 2019 scholar studies biochemistry at SUNY Stony Brook after a prestigious summer internship.  “I can’t begin to imagine the sense of helplessness many of these parents feel, especially where there’s a language barrier. The fact that we can help ease that helplessness is an incredible thing,” she said.

Thirty-one coaches delivered over 2,400 hours of support to the 36-student Class of 2019, now freshmen at colleges ranging from Ivies to SUNY institutions and everything in between. LUCA scholar/Ossining High School graduate Ariana Cardenas, an aspiring forensic psychologist, is both grateful and cognizant of the responsibility to set an example for other first-gen students: “LUCA has created an amazing family and support system that I’ve created a bond with, especially my College Coach, which has helped my journey and determination to pursue the highest level of education I can.”

Latainer adds that the “unwavering determination of our scholars and their families, and their desire to change the trajectory of their lives” inspires the entire team to work harder to create meaningful change for a deserving community.

Financial Concerns

College acceptance aside, tuition is an overwhelming concern for LUCA families. Trained volunteers assist with the formidable task of completing the complex Free Application for Federal Student Aid (“FAFSA”) and related forms to increase aid and identify scholarship opportunities. In 2019, LUCA scholars received $5.3 million in financial aid, the average annual out-of-pocket cost of college just over $7,000.

“Students can’t succeed until parents have buy-in; our goal is to get that buy-in, but fears set in, largely financial. Their child is entering a world they know nothing about,” said Buontempo.

LUCA also offers free programming to the wider Latino community. More than 4,000 parents (many with incomes under $35,000) and students have attended LUCA FAFSA Boot Camps and Spanish-language Community Information Sessions discussing college options, applications and financial aid.

First Gen Forward: Continuing Support

LUCA’s coaching program culminates in a Graduation Celebration attended by scholars, parents, staff, Board members, volunteers and dignitaries, this June including Guillermo Linares, President of the NYS Higher Education Services Corporation (himself first generation) and Westchester County Executive George Latimer. The palpable sense of pride was underscored by personal stories relayed by attendees.

But LUCA’s job isn’t over: it continues to support scholars until they graduate from college with full time jobs.  LUCA’s “First Gen Forward” College Success program launched in 2016 with a $100,000 Impact 100 Westchester grant, since “65% of first-generation college students drop out because of a lack of social capital and knowledge,” Buontempo said.

A seminar before freshman year addresses stress management, homesickness, grading, and “imposter syndrome,” the cultural adjustment of a first-gen on campus.


“We check on them throughout the year, make sure they’re still on track,” she added, and will intervene if there are issues that parents aren’t equipped to handle.

LUCA also assists with resume preparation, LinkedIn, and job searches, working with local businesses to identify paid internships: “corporate partners are always looking to expand diversity, and we have incredible talent among our scholars,” Buontempo added. Scholars also graduate with an overwhelming desire to “pay it forward and uplift their community.”

“’Lift while you climb’ really resonates,” she said.

Increasing Impact on an Underserved Population

To date, LUCA has “graduated” 136 scholars, 98% of whom are on track to complete college, defying national odds showing that 41% of Latino students attend 2-year community college, and more than half do not complete college.  Conversely, 93% of LUCA scholars attend 4-year universities (60% private institutions), with 54% at “most selective to very selective” schools.

“We’re trying to flip it on its head,” Buontempo said.

LUCA has received local and national recognition, named 2019 Examples of Excelencia Finalist, and Buontempo presented with the Pace Opportunitas in Action Award and Univision Nueva York Angel del 41.  She hopes to expand both scope and reach: four additional county schools have Latino populations exceeding 50%. LUCA is limited by capacity–management, training, and workshops–but buzz is building and “we’re primed to jump. Our program model has established success and is achieving results beyond expectation.”

The Board of Directors, a diverse group of mission-driven community members and professionals, has shifted its focus from “managerial” to fundraising. Chappaqua’s Jane Matluck, a Board member and coach since 2013, is committed to introducing LUCA to more colleges, as diversity officers are generally receptive to community-based organizations. “What’s special about our program is that volunteers are trained in-house and get ongoing support, developing relationships with students and other coaches,” Matluck said. Lynch agreed, noting LUCA’s exceptional job differentiating skill sets–from financial aid expertise to coach support– keeping volunteers engaged. Focused on growing capacity to help more students, LUCA also aspires to start working with scholars earlier to give them even more of a head start. LUCA credits its success, though, to the drive of its incredible scholars.

“Honoring their parents, and their parents’ sacrifices, they recognize that the future of their family weighs on their shoulders,” Buontempo emphasized. And with LUCA’s help, their journeys can begin.

To donate, support LUCA’s Dorm Supply drive, or learn about corporate partnerships or volunteer opportunities, visit latinou.org.

In Armonk, Re-thinking College Admissions Success

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Bruni’s book will be part of the first community
book read event on October 17th

Armonk–and surrounding communities–is filled with residents who live there often because of the high quality of the school system. Parents and community members believe that Byram HIlls High School students are well-prepared in general for a competitive college application process. And they are right.

Last year, 68 percent of the Byram Hills graduating class was accepted into the top 11 percent of colleges in the country, according to the district website. These are schools identified by Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges as Tier 1, which is also called ‘most competitive,’ and Tier 2, referred to as ‘highly competitive.’ Yale, the Georgia Institute of Technology and Tulane are examples of schools recently ranked Tier 1, while schools that earned the Tier 2 designation recently include SUNY Stony Brook, the United States Coast Guard Academy and Baylor.

Partnering with Challenge Success

Yet, Byram Hills High School Principal Christopher Walsh does not think a student’s future is solely determined by his or her college acceptances–and he is not alone. That’s why the district entered into a partnership with Challenge Success, a nonprofit that partners with schools to “create a more balanced and academically fulfilling life for their kids.” Challenge Success seeks to help communities “embrace a broad definition of success,” and also help students engage with learning more. The program was generously funded by the Byram Hills Education Foundation (BHEF) and the Debra Leipman Yale Memorial Fund. The Debra Leipman Yale Memorial Fund is a fund within the BHEF that honors the life and memory  of Debra Leipman Yale, and supports initiatives that are consistent with her values. 

“Byram Hills is part of this little cluster of schools in the Westchester area that all partnered with us last year,” Jon Kleinman of Challenge Success said. “When schools do this in concert with their peers, it’s easier to make changes.” Kleinman said that Challenge Success works with schools to “identify where they want to make progress and help connect them to research, tools and ideas.”

Walsh, who attended the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), said the district is proud of its success in placing students in many competitive colleges, but he also thinks that there are many ways to become successful and start a fulfilling life without attending a top-tier school. For Walsh, attending USMMA “really came down to a financial choice,” he said, adding that “The more I looked into USMMA the more I realized I’d have great opportunities there. After I graduated I was commissioned as an officer in the Navy, I received a B.S. in marine transportation.” It was while traveling around the world that Walsh began seeing and thinking about the educational opportunities in different places, which eventually led him to graduate school at Harvard, he said.

Different Pathways to Success

“We’re trying to look at the overall student experience,” Walsh said. “We want to make sure we have everyone involved in the conversation about moving away from this idea about a single path to success” and “the idea that you need to have everything nailed down by December of senior year.”

Another way to go is to take a gap year after college, Walsh pointed out. “Some students have decided to take gap years and they report feeling much more prepared and not caught in the current of stress and anxiety,” Walsh said. Others decide to attend schools that may not be the most competitive institutions that have accepted them – an example, Walsh said, is a soccer player who was being recruited by Yale but chose to attend Ithaca. “I just heard from her,” Walsh said in early July. “She has an on-air internship with Fox Sports and she’ll be covering the World Cup.”

Part of choosing the right college is looking beyond name recognition, Walsh said, and to that end, college counselors at Byram Hills are expected to “know the students and know the best choices for them. There’s really an expectation that the college counselors should have an idea where the students should apply.”

Community Book Read Event on October 17

Students, parents and others who wish to be part of this conversation can participate in the first Byram Hills Community Book Read. The book is Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be, by New York Times columnist Frank Bruni. Bruni describes many high-achievers who flourished at less competitive colleges–and in many cases attribute their success to those institutions.

“It’s a book that’s really accessible to the community and it’s a great jumping-off point,” Walsh said. The book is recommended for students as an independent reading selection on the Byram Hills High School summer reading list this summer, and Walsh said, “We have had a number of students who have chosen to read it.”

On Thursday, Oct. 17 at 6 p.m., members of the steering committee that worked with Challenge Success will lead a discussion in the Byram Hills High School library. All community members are welcome to attend the free event.

Now, Can You Spell … Perspicacious?

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The 9th Annual Spelling Bee Raises over $22,000 to Benefit the Horace Greeley Scholarship Fund

Senior Scholarship SHARE Members (L-R): Niamh O’Connor, Jordan Ratner and Olivia Ruggiero PHOTO BY SABRA STAUDENMAIER

The eve of Election Day in Chappaqua was quiet, dark and rainy. Students were still acclimating to losing light early in the night, since time had fallen behind by an hour the day before. Schools would be closed the following day for voting that had been anticipated for two long years. The streets were calm, yet the Horace Greeley High School gymnasium was alive with eagerness and anticipation.

Students, faculty, parents and community members were gathered together in a united purpose. It wasn’t for a basketball game or a wrestling match. The words that best suit this event were not Lay-Up or Pinfall. They were words like “crustacean”, “tinnitus”, “chrysanthemum”, “pharaoh” and “perspicacious”.

The mascot of the night was not a Quaker; it was a Bumble Bee. The event taking place was the 9th Annual Spelling Bee. The excitement in the gym was palpable.

The “Bee” is an upbeat and lively event enjoyed by participants and spectators alike. It is organized and run by Horace Greeley High School’s SHARE (Students Have a Responsibility Everywhere) student community service volunteer group. The proceeds raised benefit the Horace Greeley Scholarship Fund (HGSF), which is an organization that helps Greeley graduates fund their post-secondary education. Competing teams were comprised of families, students, members of the community and faculty. There are no restrictions on who can participate, all are welcome.

There were two energized and playful four-feet-tall bumble bees buzzing around, generating enthusiasm. There were balloons, refreshments and prizes. A row of tables crossed the middle of the gymnasium floor displaying white boards, markers and bumble bee-shaped erasers for each team. Two feet in front of these tables were chairs facing the contestants; they were seats for the judges. Behind the contestants was a single microphone for the word pronouncer and a projection screen for the words to be displayed. Along the back wall was an animated crowd cheering in the stands.

The Horace Greeley Spelling Bee showcased students working together to create a fun and inclusive event with the goal of helping their fellow students pay for college.

The Hip Bees (L-R): Beth Reilly, Annalise Curtin & Lisa Bisceglia
PHOTOS BY SABRA STAUDENMAIER

The over 60 teams were distinguished and recognizable in their cleverly themed costumes such as The Bee Gees, The Hip Bees, The Vocabulary Vampires and many more. The building excitement suddenly gave way to silence as a pause for the national anthem marked the official start of the competition.  Finally, the 9th annual HGSF Spelling Bee was underway.

The event was divided into rounds. Representatives from the School Faculty competed first, followed by competitors from the Middle School level, the High School level and then the Community.  Lastly, there was a championship round between the winners from all competing levels to determine who would earn the ultimate prize of the trophy and winning title.

Hmm (L-R): Helen Harrison, Maria Sanderleaf & Michelle Ramahlo

Words were called out by the pronouncer, then written on white boards by the contestants. Judges held up green or red cards to indicate if the word was spelled correctly or not. At the end of each round the judges would display a number to show how many words each team spelled right. Ties moved onto a sudden death elimination. Prizes, such as bee themed water bottles and stuffed animals, were given to the winners of each section and awarded to teams with the best costumes.

As the closing round drew to completion, the tension in the gym heightened. The pronouncer’s voice called over the microphone with a final “Boards Up!” The two remaining contestants raised their white boards, but only one showed the word “CATARRH” spelled correctly. The 9th Annual Horace Greeley Scholarship Fund Spelling Bee was over. Team Hmm, a trio of Chappaqua teachers and previous winners Helen Harrison, Michelle Ramahlo and Maria Sanderleaf, was awarded the coveted trophy and the title of Queen Bees.

The Spelling Bee requires skill to win; “effervescent”, “bourgeoisie” and “cayenne” are not easy words. But this event is about so much more than determining who is the best speller. The competition was ultimately created in support of a cause close to our town’s heart: education. Seth Berk, a second-year competitor who doesn’t consider himself a particularly skilled speller, remarked that he was “very happy to humble himself in support of the Horace Greeley Scholarship Fund; a great cause.” In total, over $22,000 was raised, making it the most successful Bee to date.

Ironically, the HGSF Annual Spelling Bee can be summarized with a word that is not difficult to spell: “Community”.

Congratulations to the participants and the winners and especially to the SHARE students who did an un“bee”lievable job organizing this very special event.