So, when Jason Cedero, a senior in the Bronx School of Law and Finance had the opportunity, she jumped at the chance.
“My parents were immigrants, and they didn’t get to graduate from college. So to be here is incredible,” said Cedero.
The Bronx School of Law and Finance, located at 99 Terrace View Avenue, is part of the New York Academy of Finance program.
The recent ceremony was part of an educational summit titled “Generation Now: Connecting Schools and Businesses to Keep America Competitive in a Global Economy.”
This was the final event in a series of nationwide summits sponsored by the National Academy Foundation aimed at drawing attention to a critical, nationwide need to better prepare students for global competition.
Cedero and other students from two NAF programs, the Academy of Hospitality and Tourism and the Academy of Finance, participated in the event.
Sir Win Bischoff, president of Citi, hosted the summit, which was conducted as a town hall meeting.
NAF’s founder and chairman, Sanford Weill, who is also chairman emeritus of Citi, participated as a panelist.
Other panelists included Bill Barke, CEO of Pearson Arts & Sciences; Ursula Burns, president of Xerox Corporation; Jay Fishman, chairman and CEO of Travelers; JD Hoye, president of the National Academy Foundation; and Kathryn Wylde, president and CEO of the Partnership for New York City.
Erin Burnett, business news anchor of CNBC’s Squawk on the Street and Street Signs programs, moderated the panel discussion.
“The graduation rates from the NAF schools are incredibly high and most of these students end up going to college,” said Regina Flannery, director of New York’s NAF programs. “These students, like Cedero, are role models for what can be accomplished when the high schools and the business community work together to provide an engaging educational experience.”
NAF is a recognized leader in education reform through its efforts to establish career Academies in large urban schools.
These Academies serve as schools within schools, with academies and internships focused on four areas of study: finance, engineering, hospitality & tourism and information technology.
