NEW ROCHELLE, NY (April 29, 2022) — Four New Rochelle High School Students were announced as My Brother’s Keeper Fellows by the New York State Education Department on Thursday.
Ekekiel Ankrah, Juan M. Barajas, and Stephen Philippeau, and Hector Jesus Suarez were among 86 Fellows representing 31 New York State school districts named to the fifth class of My Brother’s Keeper Fellows, identified as leaders in their MBK Communities.
MBK Fellows will be provided with mentor relationship opportunities in government, education, and business, Commissioner Betty A. Rosa announced. The My Brother’s Keeper initiative helps boys and young men of color—and all students—realize their full potential.
“My Brother’s Keeper Fellows are leaders in their communities, helping build a culture and society of opportunity where every student can be successful,” Board of Regents Chancellor Lester W. Young, Jr. said. “Beliefs and ideas are nothing without execution. MBK is removing barriers, empowering our young people to affect actionable change, and creating a generation of leaders prepared for civic duty and deeply committed to social justice.”
“These remarkable young men are the voices of our future and worthy champions of our cause,” Commissioner Rosa said. “My Brother’s Keeper is a call to action, and the Department is committed to doing what is right for all children. I thank Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and their colleagues for their continued support of New York’s MBK Program and for opening doors to success for all New Yorkers.”
“In 2016, New York led the way by becoming the first state in the nation to sign My Brother’s Keeper into law, and it is a campaign I am proud to have championed and continue to fight for,” said Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie. “As the first African American to serve as speaker of the Assembly, I am deeply committed to changing the narrative for boys and young men of color by opening more doors and unlocking their potential. I am extremely proud of this new class of fellows, and I look forward to seeing their journey and the new opportunities that arise for them.”
“I applaud the State Education Department’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative, now in its fifth year of mentoring young men of color to become future leaders,” NYS Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins. “Once again, in this year’s budget, the legislature allocated $18 million in funding for My Brother’s Keeper because we believe in the power of this program. I also want to congratulate this year’s class of My Brother’s Keeper Fellows. I am thrilled to see so many promising students from my District, including those from New Rochelle, Greenburgh, White Plains and Yonkers. These young men are leaders, helping to build a culture in their communities where every student can be successful. The MBK program will give them the tools and resources they need to navigate and build a successful life, and to create a brighter future.”
Each Fellow will be matched with a mentor from a NYSMBK Community Network partner and given a fellowship opportunity. Each Fellow will also be required to develop and execute a service project related to a NYSMBK initiative, such as:
Fellows had the opportunity to participate in a virtual induction during the 2022 MBK Symposium.
For the complete list of 2022 MBK Fellows click here.
