Queens Community House helps students graduate
Published in the Queens Chronicle on September 2, 2010

Just two years ago, Andre Beharry never dreamed about attending college. He was behind in credits at Richmond Hill High School and finishing high school seemed like an uphill battle.

Intrigued by a nontraditional learning environment and a flexible class schedule, he enrolled in the Young Adult Borough Center/Learning to Work program at John Adams High School in January 2009.

This past spring, he graduated from the program and received a full academic scholarship for a degree in automotive technology at Lincoln Technical Institute.

Implemented by the Office of Multiple Pathways to Graduation of the Department of Education in order to curb the city’s alarming dropout rate, YABC/LTW uses DOE staff and counselors from a community-based organization to guide students who are at risk of dropping out towards receiving their high school diplomas, attending college and pursuing meaningful careers.

“The YABC was different from traditional high school because you could take classes at night and they offered incentives that made me want to go to class,” Beharry said.

Queens Community House counselors have provided tutoring, counseling and college and career readiness at the John Adams YABC/LTW for the past five years. Students over the age of 17-1/2 who have attended high school for more than four years but are lacking in credits can reap the benefits of a close-knit nurturing environment that links education with work opportunities.

Each student in the program is assigned a primary person who serves as mentor and supports them until a year after graduation. If a student is absent from school, the primary person checks up on him or her to find out what the problem is.

“My primary person, Greg, was great. He helped me through all of the steps of researching and applying to colleges and really pushed me to pursue my scholarship,” Beharry said.

Many young people in New York City fail to pursue post-secondary degrees due to a lack of information about college, financial aid and the application processes. They don’t realize that college is an option for them, don’t have information about the range of institutions to which they can apply and are intimidated by the lengthy application and financial aid processes. Programs like the YABC/LTW provide support and information geared to student’s individual needs.

The YABC/LTW at John Adams High Schools is currently seeking applications for the fall semester. To register or find out more information about eligibility call (718) 322-1967 or visit the website, queescommunityhouse.org. John Adams High School is located at 101-01 Rockaway Blvd, Ozone Park.