Stanley Litow

There is this great need to look for a new model that deals with students who live in the largest problem areas, who go to the most disadvantaged schools – to bring this kind of opportunity to students of color, to change the education system that is being offered to them, it is amazing news that, here we are now, with six students not only completing the program but completing the program two full years ahead of schedule. Three will be moving on to careers at IBM at a relatively high pay, and three have scholarships to four-year institutions.

You see transformational activities in education that have taken place from time to time in the U.S. Like the end of the Second World War, for instance, they made high school mandatory, which opened up that option for a large number of students. It was transformative and led partially to America’s preeminence in the 20th century, i think the story of these six kids graduating now brings it home. Overwhelmingly it’s the children of color, who come from low-income backgrounds who a lot of people are not betting on.