Rising Inner-city Students through Education (R.I.S.E.) is an HSA club founded to give students increased exposure to higher education, and to provide them with a safe environment that will empower them, and give them the voice and tools necessary to become strong self-advocates.
This trip was designed to give the hardest working Junior members of the group (who met set GPA and attendance requirements) an opportunity to explore some of the finest schools in the country, and to experience the best of Boston and New York City.
The students spent many months organizing a variety of fundraisers and were successful in raising over $13,000 for the trip! Our thanks to all of the generous donors who helped support their efforts.
They left for Boston on Saturday, July 30th and spent four days touring local colleges and attractions. The visit included tours of Tufts University, Harvard University, Boston University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The students also explored the Freedom Trail, USS Constitution Museum, Museum of Science, MIT Museum, and Boston Common.
On Wednesday, August 3rd, they headed for New York City, where they toured Columbia and New York University. There was also time for some fun and educational activities including visits to local attractions including Central Park, Times Square, Museum of Modern Art, The Conservatory Garden, Federal Reserve Bank/Wall Street, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island Park, Ground Zero, Rockefeller Plaza, Empire State Building, Natural History Museum, Shakespeare in the Park and Coney Island before returning to Los Angeles on Sunday, August 7th.
"It was interesting how the whole club formed a very close bond and that made me feel at home when in reality we were away on the east coast," shared Marina Q. "The trip made me look forward in life and it inspired me to keep going in school. It was a great experience and an opportunity to see private colleges that I would of probably never heard of if it wasn't for the trip."
Angelica C. reflected, "The trip to the east coast was an amazing experience; it opened my eyes to new places and allowed me to be more informed about universities that I hadn't even considered before." Shared her classmate, Wences B., "Going to the East Coast was a great experience. Everything was way different than out here in LA. I really liked going and visiting different colleges out there. I wish to go back to some day."
This amazing trip was organized and chaperoned by Evelyn Castro and Jesus Mosqueda, both founding teachers at HSA and dedicated R.I.S.E. Advisors. Of the trip, Ms. Castro shared, "Our time in Boston and New York was by far my best experience as a teacher and I can truly say that it was an amazing and unforgettable experience for my students. They are now students who are more aware about educational opportunities, universities on the other side of their home, the different cultures that this country has and, more importantly, more aware about their role as self-advocates for their future. This could have not been possible without the support of the parents who helped hold many fundraisers, our donors, our school staff and students who supported our events, and our principal who supported us in this journey."
For more photos, visit our photo album.