Promising young students given amazing opportunity through TEAK Fellowship
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- Hundreds of New York City's movers and shakers will gather on the Upper West Side to celebrate the 25th anniversary of a charity dedicated to ensuring that low-income students who are talented, get to attend the finest schools and colleges in the northeast.
The idea behind the TEAK Fellowship is to identify promising sixth-graders and give them a boost.
They are among the best and brightest in the city's junior high schools.
Most will be the first in their family to attend college, nurtured by the TEAK program.
"These are young people who want to be change-makers, who want to give back to the city and help it grow," said Brad Weekes, a former TEAK fellow.
Today, Weekes is deputy communications director for Mayor Eric Adams, but 15 years ago, he was a seventh grader from East New York, Brooklyn, heading towards the Ivy League thanks to TEAK.
"These are bright kids who are the best at their respective schools, however, they may not be challenged academically in a way that we're able to do that at TEAK," Dr. Denise Brown-Allen, TEAK executive director.
The preparation extends far beyond academics.
"Making sure they have a community with like-minded students who also want to achieve. Making sure they have role models from all different backgrounds," said Justine Stamen Arrillaga, TEAK founder.
Role models like Lin Manuel Miranda and his dad Luis who recently gave advice to the TEAK fellows.
"If you need to be liked by everybody, don't be an artist. Like, straight up, don't," he said.
Watching them get inspired, it is hard to imagine that TEAK was born from tragedy after Justine Stamen Arrillaga's best friend Teak Dyer was murdered.
"And 10 years later, while I was working in the Bronx, one of my most promising, wonderful students, a musician named Dewitt White
Was murdered also," Stamen Arrillaga said.
This left her determined to make a difference.
"Trauma and loss allowed me to dig deep and think about what my purpose in this world was going to be," Stamen Arrillaga said.
A quarter century later more than 700 students have been helped.
"It instilled in me a deep sense of purpose, of how can we right systemic wrongs? How can we open up more doors? How can we continue to let people in to succeed and thrive?" Weekes said.
TEAK provides answers every day. The number of fellows has doubled in recent years and now close to 50 students are part of this program.
All of them will likely be admitted to some of the nation's best colleges and universities.
One-third of this group will go to Ivy League schools. TEAK also helps them gain financial aid and graduate with a minimum of student debt.
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