Jailyn M. 

Jailyn M. graduated from Dr. Richard Izquierdo Health & Science Charter School this year. She will attend Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA in the fall where she will study Biochemistry. Jailyn hopes to start a career in echocardiography. “I knew a few years ago I wanted to pursue medicine,” she says, “The career of an echo-technician can be financially rewarding. I wanted to get into the career as soon as possible so I put in the extra work and I am graduating a year earlier than most students!” 

Jailyn joined the BronxWorks CAFE Program last Fall after hearing about the program through a counselor at her night school. “The program is really amazing,” she says. “Being a senior is hard, and with the extra work I was putting in to graduate early, the encouragement from the BronxWorks staff was enormously helpful.” Jailyn says the BronxWorks CAFE Program provided her guidance when choosing colleges, weighing pros and cons of the different schools she had looked at and working with her to support her goals. “Old Dominion had a really great internship program in echo tech; that made the decision easy, and I was so excited I was accepted.” 

Jailyn lives with her mom and two little brothers. Education is important in their home, with her mom currently working on her Master’s degree and her aunt already with a Master’s. “My extended family live here in the Bronx and in New Jersey, and while they are nervous about how far away I will be going to school, everyone has been incredibly supportive of me and excited for my education.” 

 

Emmanuel A.

Emmanuel A. was born here in New York City but moved to Ghana when he was very little. After spending most of his childhood in Ghana, he returned to the Bronx two years ago and found the BronxWorks CAFE Program. He participated in multiple workshops about the college application process and what to expect from college life, as well as SAT prep classes. He feels these workshops have prepared him for higher education. “Coming to America, I didn’t know a lot about how the process worked. CAFE definitely helped me understand the process. The workshops were an eye opener, not just about college education and FAFSA, but also maintaining mental health. It was really educational for me.” 

Emmanuel graduated from Bronx Community High School in December 2023 and is preparing to attend New York University in the fall to study Computer Science and Finance. “I really like technology; coding is something I’ve come to like a lot. I want to be a software engineer. There’s many branches of tech, but I want to be on the back end of software development.” 

With CAFE’s guidance, Emmanuel applied for and received an NYU scholarship for full tuition, as well as other smaller scholarships. “Going to a big school like NYU was important. Big schools have access to a wide array of great internships, and I am so excited to be attending the school. My family is really excited and everybody is proud.” 

Jailyn M. 

Jailyn M. graduated from Dr. Richard Izquierdo Health & Science Charter School this year. She will attend Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA in the fall where she will study Biochemistry. Jailyn hopes to start a career in echocardiography. “I knew a few years ago I wanted to pursue medicine,” she says, “The career of an echo-technician can be financially rewarding. I wanted to get into the career as soon as possible so I put in the extra work and I am graduating a year earlier than most students!” 

Jailyn joined the BronxWorks CAFE Program last Fall after hearing about the program through a counselor at her night school. “The program is really amazing,” she says. “Being a senior is hard, and with the extra work I was putting in to graduate early, the encouragement from the BronxWorks staff was enormously helpful.” Jailyn says the BronxWorks CAFE Program provided her guidance when choosing colleges, weighing pros and cons of the different schools she had looked at and working with her to support her goals. “Old Dominion had a really great internship program in echo tech; that made the decision easy, and I was so excited I was accepted.” 

Jailyn lives with her mom and two little brothers. Education is important in their home, with her mom currently working on her Master’s degree and her aunt already with a Master’s. “My extended family live here in the Bronx and in New Jersey, and while they are nervous about how far away I will be going to school, everyone has been incredibly supportive of me and excited for my education.” 

 

Emmanuel A.

Emmanuel A. was born here in New York City but moved to Ghana when he was very little. After spending most of his childhood in Ghana, he returned to the Bronx two years ago and found the BronxWorks CAFE Program. He participated in multiple workshops about the college application process and what to expect from college life, as well as SAT prep classes. He feels these workshops have prepared him for higher education. “Coming to America, I didn’t know a lot about how the process worked. CAFE definitely helped me understand the process. The workshops were an eye opener, not just about college education and FAFSA, but also maintaining mental health. It was really educational for me.” 

Emmanuel graduated from Bronx Community High School in December 2023 and is preparing to attend New York University in the fall to study Computer Science and Finance. “I really like technology; coding is something I’ve come to like a lot. I want to be a software engineer. There’s many branches of tech, but I want to be on the back end of software development.” 

With CAFE’s guidance, Emmanuel applied for and received an NYU scholarship for full tuition, as well as other smaller scholarships. “Going to a big school like NYU was important. Big schools have access to a wide array of great internships, and I am so excited to be attending the school. My family is really excited and everybody is proud.” 

Throughout the month of June, BronxWorks programs celebrated Pride Month and showed support for the LGBTQ+ community. BronxWorks is a large organization with very diverse staff and participants, and Pride Month is an important time to come together and stand with those in the community, learn from their experiences, and support their efforts for acceptance of LGBTQ+ rights and identities. 

Pride Month was celebrated across the agency through a variety of programming and borough-wide events. Members of the BronxWorks LGBTQ+ Committee, BronxWorks Positive Living Program, and other BronxWorks staff attended Da Bronx Pride Festival, hosted by Destination Tomorrow. Positive Living hosted a table at the event to provide information about the program and offered free and confidential on-site HIV and Hepatitis testing. Positive Living also provided free HIV testing at Walgreens on National HIV Testing Day once again this year.

Jobs Plus held a LGBTQ+ Career and College Fair to help queer job seekers obtain the skills and network needed to boost their career. CAFE staff were also present to support attendees with the search for higher education opportunities that align with their career goals. Jobs Plus aims to have members of the LGBTQ+ community represented in all careers, and in all levels of leadership across all industries.  

At Cooper Gardens Supportive Housing, residents celebrated Pride Month with an event for children and families that offered activities centered around LGBTQ+ visibility and knowledge. Staff and participants also painted different pride flags and other designs with lots of colors.  

Jamilla Staine Pyne, Tenant Services Coordinator at Cooper Gardens, said the celebration and visibility of LGBTQ+ identities is critical in a supportive housing environment where people from “all walks of life” are living together. “LGBTQ+ communities have higher than average rates of housing instability, substance abuse, and domestic violence, all of which are issues that can come up in this environment when we meet with clients,” said Jamilla. “We want to be irrevocably clear that BronxWorks is here to help. People in the LGBTQ+ community have a safe place at BronxWorks.” 

Throughout the month of June, BronxWorks programs celebrated Pride Month and showed support for the LGBTQ+ community. BronxWorks is a large organization with very diverse staff and participants, and Pride Month is an important time to come together and stand with those in the community, learn from their experiences, and support their efforts for acceptance of LGBTQ+ rights and identities. 

Pride Month was celebrated across the agency through a variety of programming and borough-wide events. Members of the BronxWorks LGBTQ+ Committee, BronxWorks Positive Living Program, and other BronxWorks staff attended Da Bronx Pride Festival, hosted by Destination Tomorrow. Positive Living hosted a table at the event to provide information about the program and offered free and confidential on-site HIV and Hepatitis testing. Positive Living also provided free HIV testing at Walgreens on National HIV Testing Day once again this year.

Jobs Plus held a LGBTQ+ Career and College Fair to help queer job seekers obtain the skills and network needed to boost their career. CAFE staff were also present to support attendees with the search for higher education opportunities that align with their career goals. Jobs Plus aims to have members of the LGBTQ+ community represented in all careers, and in all levels of leadership across all industries.  

At Cooper Gardens Supportive Housing, residents celebrated Pride Month with an event for children and families that offered activities centered around LGBTQ+ visibility and knowledge. Staff and participants also painted different pride flags and other designs with lots of colors.  

Jamilla Staine Pyne, Tenant Services Coordinator at Cooper Gardens, said the celebration and visibility of LGBTQ+ identities is critical in a supportive housing environment where people from “all walks of life” are living together. “LGBTQ+ communities have higher than average rates of housing instability, substance abuse, and domestic violence, all of which are issues that can come up in this environment when we meet with clients,” said Jamilla. “We want to be irrevocably clear that BronxWorks is here to help. People in the LGBTQ+ community have a safe place at BronxWorks.” 

The BronxWorks Children and Youth Department held our second annual Prom and Graduation Clothing Giveaway Event for middle school and high school seniors! Over 80 students and their families attended the event at the Carolyn McLaughlin Community Center.

Each Student took home a dress or suit of their choice, and everyone was gifted a goodie bag with cosmetic and personal care items to prepare for these milestone events! Parents also had the opportunity to choose clothing for themselves for upcoming graduation ceremonies!

Thank you to everyone in the BronxWorks community who donated clothing and accessories to the Prom and Graduation Drive! Special thanks to the Administration for Children’s Services, who co-sponsored the event and helped students make their clothing choices alongside BronxWorks staff.

The BronxWorks Children and Youth Department held our second annual Prom and Graduation Clothing Giveaway Event for middle school and high school seniors! Over 80 students and their families attended the event at the Carolyn McLaughlin Community Center.

Each Student took home a dress or suit of their choice, and everyone was gifted a goodie bag with cosmetic and personal care items to prepare for these milestone events! Parents also had the opportunity to choose clothing for themselves for upcoming graduation ceremonies!

Thank you to everyone in the BronxWorks community who donated clothing and accessories to the Prom and Graduation Drive! Special thanks to the Administration for Children’s Services, who co-sponsored the event and helped students make their clothing choices alongside BronxWorks staff.