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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
POLICE ATHLETIC LEAGUE VIRTUAL 2021 GRADUATION CEREMONY
CELEBRATES PAL COLLEGE ACCESS PROGRAM
PAL College Access Program Graduates from the Bronx Head to College in Fall 2021 and
PAL Rising Star from the Bronx Moves Up to Senior Year of High School
On June 1, 2021, the Police Athletic League held a virtual graduation ceremony to celebrate PAL’s College Access Program. PAL program graduates head to college in Fall 2021, and PAL Rising Stars move up to senior year of high school.
PAL College Access Program Graduates from the Bronx included young people from the PAL Webster-Giannone Center: Destiny Cannon, 17; Jonathon Jenkins, 17; Matilda Owusu, 17; Kayla Rhys, 17; Kamariya Safiou; Cheyenne Scutt and Abdullah Soulemana. Anthony Foster, 16 from the PAL Webster-Giannone Center, was a Rising Star.
The College Access Program is offered to high school juniors and seniors attending PAL Teen Centers to help young people overcome barriers to college. Students attend youth development workshops while gaining valuable career preparation. The program aims to not only encourage students to enroll in higher education but to prepare them for success in school and in their careers. The program focuses on academic support, college awareness, job skills development, targeted internships and life skills workshops.
The 2021 Virtual Ceremony began with a Welcome by Shakeia McPherson, PAL College Access Program Director, followed by Greetings and Congratulations by Theodore Allen, PAL Director of Teen Programming, who introduced the Keynote Speaker Hon. Llinét M. Rosado, Justice of New York State Supreme Court.
“The Honorable Judge Rosado, elected by the people of the Bronx, has been a strategic partner with PAL for over two years. She has empowered youth and dedicates her free time to help PAL with securing internships and enlisting fellow judges to speak with our students about their educational and career paths,“ said Theodore Allen, PAL Director of Teen Programming. “Judge Rosado is dedicated to creating change for youth, and she is truly an inspiration to our young people.”
The ceremony closed with words of wisdom by PAL College Access Program Alum Isabella Lebarr, messages from the young people in the program, a video and certificate presentation, and special wishes from PAL College Access Program advocates, Sade Whyte and Shaquaya Weaver.
New York City’s Police Athletic League is the first and finest civilian-run PAL in the country. Founded in 1914, PAL has served the city’s young people for over 100 years. PAL provides recreational, educational, cultural and social activities to 20,000 boys and girls annually. It is also the city’s largest, independent, nonprofit youth organization. For more information, please visit www.palnyc.org.
Photo Captions:
Honorable Judge Rosado, Keynote Speaker, PAL College Access Program Graduation Ceremony.
Theodore Allen, PAL Director of Teen Programming.
Photos Courtesy of Police Athletic League