It’s Back-to-School Time Again – For All Ages!
With September here, neighborhoods across New York City are buzzing once more with the excitement of the new school year. But did you know that educational advancement is not just for the youngest among us? Adult NYCHA residents who did not finish high school and want to get their degree have a great opportunity to continue their educations, thanks to a partnership between NYCHA’s Office of Resident Economic Empowerment & Sustainability (REES) and the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC).
One example of a New Yorker who profited from the opportunity is Janely Familia. Ms. Familia is a single mom, a NYCHA resident in Far Rockaway’s Beach 41st Street Houses, and now the proud holder of a General Equivalency Diploma (GED) earned at BMCC.
“In March of last year, I received an email from REES and NYCHA,” Ms. Familia said. “They were offering the chance to get your GED through BMCC. And I said, ‘Oh, wow — this is pretty cool, let me check this out!’”
She began the NYCHA REES/BMCC program last March and was able to complete all the requirements in two semesters, successfully finishing the program and earning her GED in December 2022.
“I did my science first; then I did English; then I did the social studies,” said Ms. Familia. “And then math, that was my last one. It was just wonderful. The teachers are amazing! I loved them!”
Ms. Familia’s enthusiasm for the program was not limited to how much she enjoyed her teachers. “My classmates were wonderful too,” she said. “We all helped each other out, because we all had the same goal – it was straight to business. If I knew that I wasn’t going to be in one day, I’d let one of my friends know, ‘Hey, can you copy this down for me, so that I don’t miss anything?’ Just having that open communication, so that you can have a best possible chance of completing your goal, was so good.”
Erwin Sirena is a BMCC Student Success Manager for the program, as well as a BMCC graduate himself. The kinds of success and satisfaction that Ms. Familia got from the program are what Mr. Sirena and his colleagues aim for. “We’ve had a really good experience with NYCHA students and collaborating with NYCHA so far,” Mr. Sirena said.
The program is intended both to help students get their GED and to prepare them to move on to bigger things afterward, said Mr. Sirena. “It’s designed to help students prepare for the GED exam, but also to prepare for college. When students are ready to take the GED exam, I help them make an appointment, of course. But also, if and when students are ready to move on to college, I can help them with the application process or connect them with someone to help them with their applications.”
Irma Lance, Mr. Sirena’s supervisor, agreed about the partnership’s intentions: “We are a college prep program. We’re not trying to get them to pass the GED only — we try to prepare them for college. We read novels, we do research in class, we take the students on trips, we do a lot of things that they’re going to also need later on.”
On average, Ms. Lance said, it takes about a year to complete the coursework needed for the GED.Of course, many program participants are handling much more than school in their everyday lives. “A lot of our students are more than just students,” Mr. Sirena said. “They have other responsibilities going on. They are parents, full-time or part-time workers too. But they are committed and are trying to get that academic achievement.”
Given the challenges of fitting school into a busy life, students sometimes need to pause their studies and return to them later, and the program was designed accordingly.
“Students are welcome to take a break and return to our program if that is what they need to do,” Mr. Sirena said. “And they don’t lose any credit. They’re welcome to come back anytime as long as they are in good academic standing.”
NYCHA REES/BMCC staff are available and ready to help because they understand, as REES’s Assistant Director of Adult Education & Training Josephine Melendez said, that “the GED is a valuable asset which helps boost earnings and expand educational opportunities.” The positive experience they have made possible in this program really makes a difference for students like Ms. Familia.
“It was amazing!” Ms. Familia said. “The fact that the program’s atmosphere was so great helped make it much easier for me. I could see my goal and say, ‘OK, I can do this!’ It wasn’t something so far-fetched anymore, and I got it accomplished. That was the best feeling I’ve had in a long time.”
To learn more about the opportunity to complete your GED through the NYCHA REES/BMCC Partnership High School Equivalency (HSE) Program, attend a REES or BMCC information session: visit OpportunityNYCHA or call the REES hotline at 718-289-8100 for more information.