Student Profiles

College Freshman:

Amar Ramroop, University of Pennsylvania. Amar, 18, is the first graduate of Hillcrest High School to go to Penn, where he is enrolled in the engineering school. At Hillcrest, he was student body president and an avid community volunteer. He was a recipient of a BlackRock-Schlosstein scholarship for New Visions students, which provides $20,000 over four years, and a winner of The New York Times College Scholarship Program. He created street signs for the school hallways at Hillcrest, naming them after prestigious colleges and universities to help his classmates set their sights high.

Jessica Lucas, Binghamton University. Jessica, 18, plans to study English with a focus in creative writing in the hopes of becoming a magazine editor. She’s already getting involved in the Latin American Student Union at Binghamton. While at Banana Kelly High School, she worked as an intern at the Bronx borough president's office, was captain of the school cheerleading team, and founded “Make College Your Home,” a support group to encourage students to go outside New York City for higher education. She received scholarships from both the New York State Lottery and United Federation of Teachers.

Seniors:

Glenroy Wason, International Arts Business School. Glenroy, 18, wants to be an accountant, and he is waiting to hear back from Baruch College and Brooklyn College. The summer after his junior year, he spent a week at Bryant University in Rhode Island learning about accounting through a program with PricewaterhouseCoopers. He participates in the All Stars Project Development School for Youth, which trains future leaders through weekly workshops led by senior executives from leading New York City corporations and law firms.

Michael Dharampaul, High School for Global Citizenship. Michael, 18, has applied to 17 colleges. He thinks his top pick would be New York University, but he’s keeping an open mind as he waits for acceptance letters. The No. 5 student in his class and the top-ranked boy, Michael wants to study computer engineering and hopes to one day run his own computer hardware business. Advice on succeeding in 11th grade? First, “to really focus and manage your time.” Second, “find a way to relieve stress,” something he does by playing basketball. Third, “if you put in the time now, it will pay off later.” Thanks to his hard work earning credits his freshman, sophomore and junior years, senior year he gets to start school late and leave early, giving him time for an internship. And with three A.P. classes this year, he’s already getting ahead on college credit, too.