I entered Harlem Academy in the sixth grade and gr...

I entered Harlem Academy in the sixth grade and graduated in the Class of 2014. Harlem Academy was the perfect place for me to learn, grow, and find my interests.

The teachers were amazing. They were dedicated to our learning, always encouraged us to push ourselves, and reminded us to not limit our abilities. I will always be thankful to them.

The amount of activities that I was able to participate in during my time there was tremendous as well. We took two annual trips. One was to the Princeton Blairstown Center in New Jersey. There, we had fun with activities like rappelling down bridges and rock climbing, we got out of comfort zones by camping out in cabins, and we learned the importance of teamwork.

The other trip was to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, NY. There, we were introduced to the world of STEM by actual college professors. If you were in grades 7-8, you got to present the work you did with the professors at the end of the 3-day trip. We even got to live in the dorms and go to the dining halls like we were college students. It was a great experience. Actually, it was such a great experience that I kept RPI on my radar for when it was time for me to look at colleges to attend. Years later, I am now a rising junior at RPI, majoring in chemical engineering.