“If we expand those investments, five years from now, we can have a larger generation of students — especially Black, brown, and immigrant youth — prepared and inspired to lead.”
This past summer, you could find Juan at the Mercedes Club pool, perched on a lifeguard stand and scanning the water with steady focus. A little shy and incredibly tenacious, he had landed one of the hardest summer jobs for New York City teens. The summer before, he worked further uptown with Futures Ignite’s Urban Ecology Lab, testing air and water quality at Sherman Creek through our partnership with the New York Restoration Project.
Juan is a senior at the Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School, the son of Dominican immigrants, and a quiet, determined leader. Since 10th grade, he has immersed himself in Futures Ignite: researching with the Clean Air Green Corridor Lab, testing water quality with the Urban Ecology Summer Institute, and joining college trips.
His persistence shows up in small moments. At our Urban Ecology Summer Symposium, when his team was missing a crucial water sample, Juan hopped on a CitiBike, collected it from the Harlem River, and returned in time for his team to finish strong. Now, he is applying to college, dreaming of studying computer science and finance, while continuing to grow as an environmental and STEM leader…