NEW ROCHELLE, NY — While thousands of students joined their Mom and Dad at work last Thursday, 46 New Rochelle High School students traveled to 16 different workplaces as part of the Second Annual “Take a Student Ambassador to Work Day,” an initiative pioneered by My Brother’s Keeper New Rochelle (MBKNewRo) and designed to piggyback on the national Take your Son or Daughter to Work Day.
“Our high school students had the opportunity to interact with engineers, doctors, lawyers, judges, investment bankers and professionals in the tech, music, marketing and insurance fields,” says Camille Edwards Thomas, a House Principal at NRHS and co-chair of MBKNewRo’s Ambassador Committee. “We were so grateful to the employers who participated in the program this year – they went to great lengths to provide meaningful experiences for the students,” adds Colleen Gardephe, Managing Director of MBKNewRo and co-chair of its Ambassador Committee.
46 students — including a mix of MBK male Student Ambassadors and female students from New Rochelle High School’s Girls Mentoring Club — participated in one-day externships at corporations and organizations in Manhattan, New Rochelle and throughout Westchester County. 13 students had the opportunity to explore different departments at Montefiore Hospital in New Rochelle. “The students talked with doctors, nurses, social workers and personnel employees and got a good overview of how the hospital works,” observes Daniel Bonnet, Director of The Center for College and Careers, which is part of The Guidance Center of Westchester and one of MBKNewRo’s most supportive community partners. The Guidance Center provided vans and drivers so the students could safely travel throughout Westchester. Judge Gail Rice, Steiner Sports and TP Toys and Accessories also hosted students at their New Rochelle locations.
Another group of four students visited the Westchester Courts, where they interacted with the District Attorney, the Commissioner of Jurors, and the Honorable Kathie E. Davidson. “The students were given a look into how the court system works and the types of cases lawyers, judges and jurors handle in Wetstchester,” says Christoph Campbell, Career Coordinator for the Boys and Girls Clubs of New Rochelle and Mount Vernon. Additional employers in Westchester who hosted students included IBM, Morgan Stanley, Levitt-Fuirst Associates and Prime Performance & Development.
New York City employers participating in the Second Annual Take a Student Ambassador to Work Day included: John Gallin & Son, the law firm of Patterson, Belknap Webb & Tyler, Meetup.com, The Public Theater, The Orchard and ClearBridge Investments. A $1,000 grant from the New Rochelle Fund for Educational Excellence covered the costs for Metro North tickets and taxi rides to the New Rochelle train station for the 14 students who traveled into Manhattan along with their chaperones.
On April 29th, 2015, New Rochelle became the first community in Westchester County to accept President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Challenge. Six additional communities in Westchester and another 250 cities and towns across the country have joined the My Brother’s Keeper initiative, which is designed to help all students flourish, particularly boys and young men of color.
My Brother’s Keeper New Rochelle (MBKNewRo) is a unique partnership between the City of New Rochelle and the School District and is supported by more than 120 community partners and 100 volunteers. MBKNewRo has launched or implemented more than two dozen events, programs and activities to help students make progress in all six of the Milestones outlined in this cradle-to-career initiative.
To learn more about MBKNewRo, please visit its website at mbknewro.com or check out the organization’s posts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To volunteer or donate, please email info@mbknewro.com.
