success stories
📰 Featured in The Riverdale Press
ELLIS seniors share resilience and success as school raises $65,000 for graduates.
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🎨 Whitney Museum: Youth Insights Program — Celebrating ELLIS Students!
Dear ELLIS Community,
Let's celebrate our ELLIS Youth Insights artists, Yesiel, Sebastian, Rogers, Marco, Georgelis & Keila. 🌟 Today was the Youth Insights end of year presentation and celebration of art. Yesiel was asked to represent ELLIS and the program by being a key speaker at the event tonight. The students presented their body of work in front of so many people and received their certificate of completion. Brava!! 👏
In the midst of so many challenges, this group has persevered and pushed through. 💪 Valtentin Concha-Nunez, their supervisor and mentor, was instrumental and a huge catalyst in building our student's confidence and providing such nurturing guidance and care, often ending his day later to provide additional support. It has been a pleasure to collaborate with him this year. He is a fierce advocate of youth and I/we can't thank him enough for all of the work he does.
Thank you, Lionel, for your presence at the event tonight and your support of our students. 🙏
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🎓 Fiona Noumbi - Bachelor's Degree in Architecture from Syracuse University.
🎓 Yann Noumbi - Bachelor's Degree in Media Management from SUNY New Paltz.
🎓 Afrida Ahmed - Graduated from Lehman College with a Major in Accounting Management and Business Innovation and Minors in Media & Communication and Philosophy.
🎓 Asmaa Alkhadashi - Graduated from Lehman College with a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology. Asmaa is looking forward to spending time with her family before pursuing graduate school.
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In the spirit of celebrating Alumni achievements, we are proud to highlight Mohamed Danso, who is currently in Malaysia researching how business supply chains operate on a global level. Mohamed shared that this experience has helped him feel even more aligned with his career path and excited about the opportunities ahead. This September, Danso will enter his Senior year at Clarkson University majoring in Supply Chain Management.
Jhonatan Martinez – Class of 2025
Jhonatan is currently completing his freshman year at CUNY Bronx Community College. He recently shared a photo and video of himself installing belts inside a car engine. It's a hands-on experience that will prepare Jhonatan for the field.
Upon completing his degree, Jhonatan will have the opportunity to apply to Fortune 500 automotive companies for full-time positions offering competitive salaries, as well as strong health and retirement benefits.
Congratulations to all who have played a role in Jhonatan's growth.
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🎓 Alpha Sylla - Bachelor's Degree in Business from Niagara University.
🎓 Reisy Lopez - Fordham University Graduate School of Education MA School Counseling.
🎓 Zakaria Koumbassa - Bachelor’s Degree in Management Information Systems from Rochester Institute of Technology.
🎓 Diorobo Souare - Bachelor’s Degree in Business from Marymount Manhattan College.
🎓 Ashmel Martinez - Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from City College of New York.
🎓 Bianka Peña - Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from Le Moyne College.
🎓 Edelin Mora - Master’s Degree in Business Management from Mount Saint Mary College.
🎓 Mohamed Sako - Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from SUNY Potsdam.
🎓 Ivanna Ntongo - Master’s Degree in International Affairs from University at Albany, SUNY.
Congratulations to all of our graduates! 💙🎉🎓. We are incredibly proud!!! Their accomplishments are a testament to their hard work and perseverance.
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Angie Rodriguez — Class of 2017
Angie is a graduate of Syracuse University, where she earned a degree in Civil Engineering. She currently works as a Civil Engineer at Arcadis, conducting research and site assessments on properties that may contain radioactive materials harmful to the environment.
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Breily Soto — Class of 2019
Breily has officially opened an Italian restaurant in the Dominican Republic! While at ELLIS, he always dreamed of becoming an entrepreneur and now he’s living that dream.
Bubacarr Sisawo — Class of 2016
Bubacarr graduated from SUNY Potsdam with a degree in Criminal Justice and has since joined the U.S. Air Force, ranking as a top official. His Sergeant status was earned through a combination of his college degree and exceptional training.
Bianka Peña — Class of 2021
Bianka is now a senior at LeMoyne College, majoring in Biology and earning a well-deserved spot on the Dean’s List.
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We are beyond thrilled to announce that our superstar, Kai Almonte, has been awarded the prestigious 2025 Yankees-Stonewall Scholarship! 🏆⚾️
This highly competitive $10,000 scholarship is awarded to only one student from each borough, and we are proud to share that Kai is representing us with excellence.
Kai will be continuing their academic journey at St. John Fisher University on a full ride — a testament to their hard work, leadership, and resilience.
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Congratulations, Linh Nguyen! Let’s join in celebrating Linh for her incredible accomplishment — graduating from the University of Rochester with a degree in Accounting! Her graduation photo captures the essence of determination and readiness as she embarks on this exciting new journey in her career.
Kardjatou Kone has successfully completed her Associate’s Degree at Manhattan University and is planning to enroll in the Diagnostic Medical Sonography program at Touro University. We’re excited for this next chapter in your healthcare journey!
Ehteshamul 'Sham' Haque recently earned his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from CUNY Lehman! After transferring from the University of Rochester, Sham overcame every challenge that came his way to achieve this milestone — a true testament to resilience and determination.
Fatema Rahman, our very own College Bridge Coach, graduated just last week from CUNY Lehman with a degree in Health Education and Promotion, with a minor in Biology. Fatema, your commitment to both your education and our students has been nothing short of inspiring.
Baba Bakere graduated from CUNY BMCC earning his Associates degree and looking ahead to starting his next journey at CUNY Baruch, majoring in Computer Information Systems.
