Spotlight On Dreamer Alumni: Danilo Rodriguez!

Name: Danilo Rodriguez

Dreamer Cohort: Rohatyn Class, 1986

Which grade were you in?:  Grade 7

What did you think about “I Have A Dream” – New York when you were in school?  Initially I was unaware of what the program was, it became evident as the first year progressed, and I found myself in awe of the opportunity that presented itself.

What High School did you attend, and what year did you graduate?  Brooklyn Tech, 1992

Did you go to college/secondary school? If so, where and what did you study? Yes, Columbia University for Undergrad and Columbia Business School for Graduate school

Did you graduate college (2-year, 4-year, or vocational school)? If so, what school and what did you study? Columbia University, Electrical Engineering and Mathematics/ Columbia Business School, MBA

What are you doing now?  I’ve just returned to the United States after working six years in the Middle East (United Arab Emirates).  I’ve come back with my family and am currently settling back in to the city.

How would you explain the “I Have A Dream” program to someone who had never heard of it?  It’s a program that provides a path to a college education to youth that would otherwise not have one.

Danilo Rodriguez with his family

How did being a Dreamer affect you?  It’s the biggest opportunity I received in my life, it was my way out of a life that didn’t have many positive outcomes.  It was an opportunity I knew I needed to take full advantage of as it would be my only shot at the education I deserved.  It set me on the path to who I am and where I find myself today.

What were some of your favorite memories about being a Dreamer?  Mainly the time spent with the Rohatyns, my sponsors.  It gave me a glimpse into a different part of the city, and it showed me that New York, and the rest of the world for that matter, wasn’t just my current environment, there was something more to explore, and different people to interact with.

Would you be where you are today without “I Have A Dream” – New York? Why or why not?  As I mentioned, I Have A Dream set me on a completely new and different path, one that I could not imagine given my circumstances at the time.  It opened up opportunities that I would otherwise not pursue for it would be, as I imagined it, out of my grasp.  I think the most important lesson I received from the program was not to limit myself or my thinking; to think big, and to be able to set big goals.  Even though they may seem out of reach, there’s always a way to reach them.

What does your family think of “I Have A Dream” – New York?  My family understands that I was involved in a program that helped me through college, but I don’t think they fully grasp the impact that it has had in my life.  Somehow I would like for them to know how important this program was for me.

If you are a Dreamer Alum who would like to share your story for the blog, please contact Allison Curran at acurran@ihaveadreamny.org. 

East Harlem Career Speaker Series: Dreamers, Meet Andre Williams

Andre Williams is a likeable, smart, confident and caring 30 years young professional who stands 6’4” tall!

Andre visited the East Harlem Dreamers on Thursday January 29th during the after school.  Throughout his presentation, he spoke with Dreamers about the unique place they are in with “I Have A Dream” and advised them to take advantage of this opportunity. He spoke about college readiness and exploration of talents by making wise choices now, either at 7 or 11 years of age (youngest and oldest Dreamer age in East Harlem); reasoned that copying others’ negative behaviors is “falling victim to peer pressure” and cautioned them that taking short cuts will impact their final results leading to disappointment.

Andre shared two important aspects of his life; one about the principles he lives by and his creative entrepreneurial side.

Andre’s Principles:

Work Hard and Smart:  This is about the ability to work towards goals and having the patience during tough times; it speaks about intelligence and character. Dreamers do set goals for themselves, as M.T. stated: “I want to stay out of trouble” and S.C. pronounced, “I want to watch less TV and read more”!

Stay Focused: It is a tough quality when we get bored! This principle is about being able to stick to the work as it gets hard, or boring because what you want is important to you; it is about having good work ethics.  One of the Dreamers, Z.M. had an excited, overwhelmed look in his face when he heard: “Imagine you are called by the NFL as the first player because you stuck to your dream and worked all the steps, no shortcuts”. Z stated with his hands over his head: “Oh man, that’s what I want!”

Love Your Family: Andre spoke about the most important people in their lives to guide them, hold them, make them accountable, and who motivate and inspire them.

Never Lose Confidence in Yourself: Kids gravitated towards this principle as Andre spoke about the uniqueness in each of them. He kept emphasizing: “Never, Never lose confidence in yourself; you have your own personal abilities, personality… your own power; never measure yourself by anybody else”.

Andre graduated from the University of Hartford with a degree in Marketing. During a time of financial hardship he began pondering (positive) was to make money with a group of his friends. Despite challenges and naysayers Andre and his friends created their own clothing line, and G.O.O.N Savvy was born! G.O.O.N Savvy stands for “Getting Over Obstacles and Negativity”, a message spread over t-shirts and sweaters fixed on a pair of spectacles (further implying “coolness”).

Our Dreamers participated in a brief discussion about the business aspects of staring a clothing line, from merchandising, pricing, marketing and profits. Needless to say, our kids were attentive and responsive. After leading an activity where the children wrote motivational words using the letters of their own names, Andre promised all Dreamers their own t-shirt for the summer… with their own colors and design!

Fact is, Andre was very relatable to our Dreamers, from the discussion about keeping his grades in order to get the latest “Jordan” sneakers, a deal he made with his mother when he was a kid, to being a young African American Role Model with a Latin American Aunt! Andre Williams in the East Harlem Program Director’s nephew.

If you have a story to tell, really like kids and believe you are a positive professional and personal role model for our Dreamers, please email nancyrw@ihaveadreamny.org about participating in the Career Speakers Series.

A Dreamer Friend Shares Her Love of Reading

Today, we have a post from Rachel, an eight-year-old friend of "I Have A Dream" - New York (and daughter to one of our volunteers and supporters), who talks about her recent birthday sharing her love of reading with the Dreamers. Many thanks to Rachel!

Rachel and the East Harlem Dreamers talking about their favorite books

Because of my love of history and stories, I celebrated my 8th birthday at the New York Historical Society. In order to share my love of books and reading, I asked my friends to please bring books to donate instead of birthday gifts. The books would be for the East Harlem I Have a Dream Program. My friends, who are second graders at the Cathedral School of Saint John the Divine, are around the same age as the Dreamers in East Harlem, so we had a lot of fun thinking about what books other kids might like. My mom had told me about IHAD because of her volunteering at De Hostos-Wise, and I was excited about the organization since it has  an inspiring name (I love reading biographies of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.). Hopefully the Dreamers will enjoy these books! 

Defeating the Beast

Today we have a special blog post from a Ravenswood Dreamer, Tyquan Gary, who shared his college admissions essay with us. We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we did!

Tyquan Gary, 12th grade

Below is the essay I wrote for my college applications. I came up with the idea for my essay from an admissions officer from Adelphi University. I met him at a college application workshop through the “I Have a Dream” Foundation. He talked about how he read so many boring essays at his job, but that he once read an essay using a metaphor that was really interesting. Once he explained what that student did, I knew I could use a metaphor to make my essay better. Writing the essay it took a lot of time and patience, but with my Program Directors helping me to get my ideas out, it made it easier to get to the final draft.

The Beast -

I have been going up against “the beast” for the past three harsh years, and now as my biggest enemy it won’t be defeated.  We have crossed paths many times and every time I come close to slaying this beast, I lose.  This summer I have been sacrificing fun to work hard and dedicate myself to beating this monster.  I go to bed early and I wake up early.  I travel in a crowded car.  I train for three to six hours.  During the training I am tired and exhausted.  It goes down like this every day.

The beast is called the Integrated Algebra Regents.  This summer I signed up for a program known as College Focus at Laguardia Community College.  It’s a program for rising seniors who scored below an 80 on their Integrated Algebra Regents exam.  I joined the College Focus program because I need help in exterminating this beast.  I’ve taken this test four times and I have still failed to get an 80. Passing my Regents with an 80 or higher will keep me keep out of a remedial class in college, according to the New York City college guidelines. I don’t want to pay to learn high school math in college, and I don’t plan on staying in college an extra year. I would rather just do my best now to stay away from those classes.

This summer my vacation has been postponed to stay in this chaotic city and try to get work done.  The nice weather, pool, and open space are missed.  But, knowing what I need to do to move on to the next stage in life, I must overcome these distractions and get to business. Getting up in the morning commuting to the school is hard considering I never had summer school. Instead of sleeping in late like all teens love to do, I’m up early on the always-delayed 7 train, which feels like a clown car with hundreds of people.  Friends and family aren’t making this journey any easier. My friends want me to stop studying and chill with them. My family wants me to spend time with them.  I don’t want to let friends and family down, but I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do.

I want to become an entrepreneur, but starting a business is very difficult. The most obvious difficulty is money and where it is going to come from. I know recent college graduates might not earn enough money. With the experience of the College Focus program I’ve realized that I have to choose between what I want to do and what has to be a priority.  I’ve also realized that using the resources around me will help me get closer to my goal.  Knowing what I have to do motivates me to overcome any obstacles in my way.

As I walk to the castle I am comfortable and not scared until I walk inside. While entering the dark dusty castle all I hear is my footsteps echoing up and down the hallway. When I make my way to the room, me and the beast have a stare down.  The beast starts to slither its way towards me and I start to become worried.  Now that the time has come for us to fight, the beast strikes and the attack leaves me paralyzed with fear and anxiety.  I’ve received the ok to begin the test but my hands don’t want to move from their positions.  I waste time trying to calm down and think.  I start to become very frustrated and I can’t think clearly.  As I realize that I must not give up on my goal and not let anything stop me, my mind comes into focus, I remember my training, and I do what I have to do.