Brooklyn Graduating Seniors Headed to Prestigious Colleges

Graduating seniors at Uncommon School’s four high schools in Brooklyn continued a long-standing tradition by announcing where they plan to attend college in the fall in front of a raucous crowd of parents, teachers and underclassmen.

Known as Senior Signing Day, the event marked the culmination of four years of rigorous academics at Uncommon Collegiate, Uncommon Charter, Uncommon Leadership and Uncommon Prep.

The four high schools are graduating a total of 412 seniors in a few weeks, with over 90% attending a 4-year college in the fall, having earned $15 million dollars in scholarships and grants.

Uncommon Schools is a public charter school system with 23 schools in Brooklyn, all free and open to any student. There are no entrance exams to attend.

Graduating seniors are attending some of the most prestigious colleges and universities in the nation, including University of Chicago, Duke University, University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, Cornell University, Dartmouth University, and Emory. Seniors are also attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities, including Spelman College, Howard University and Hampton University.

At Uncommon Charter High School, Principal Justin Salvador told students that the choice they are making now will open doors to opportunity, financial freedom and so much more.

“Recognize today that not everyone in our communities and in our world have the privilege of the choices that were made today,” Salvador said. “As you have chosen your paths forward, remember your why that has brought you to this moment and remember that you are charged with taking the next steps in making our world a better place.”

Salvador said the Class of 2024 has had a high school experience different from previous classes, referring to the years during the pandemic in 2020 and 2021 when they were forced to learn remotely from computers while at home.

“While this is not the way you would have envisioned your high school career to be, you have shown up, you have persevered, tackling applications, deadlines, SATs, and Aps,” he said. “You have reflected on the choices made and use that knowledge to determine your future.”

On top of the pandemic, seniors this year also had to deal with problems with FAFSA, the federal financial aid application that left many students not knowing how much financial aid they were receiving until recently.

However, many students received merit scholarships. Uncommon Charter had a record year with students receiving nearly $8 million in scholarships and grants, including five who earned full rides through the QuestBridge program and one who received a full ride through the Posse program.

Leanna Jimenez is one of those students. She received a QuestBridge scholarship to Duke University, where she intends to major in psychology. Jimenez hopes to become a research psychologist after graduating from college.

Jimenez, who started at Uncommon Schools as a fifth grader, said she will be the first in her family to graduate from a four-year college. She said her parents, Dominican immigrants, were thrilled when she was accepted.

"My parents are very proud,” she said. “They're happy for me. That's all they wanted for me to get a scholarship and it's such a good school."

Throughout high school, she excelled both academically and athletically, maintaining a 4.0 grade point average while participating in softball and volunteering as a manager for the boys' basketball team.

Teyahnna Jefferson, received a QuestBridge scholarship to attend the University of Chicago, where she plans to major in psychology/neuroscience. After graduating, Jefferson hopes to be a neurologist or a psychiatrist.

“I want to be able to help people that are ill, and be able to work with them for a resolution,” said Jefferson, who maintained a 4.0 grade point average while participating in athletics, including playing softball and managing the girls’ junior varsity and boys’ varsity basketball teams.

Adah-Lael Delphonse, who started Uncommon Schools as a fifth grader, is also attending the University of Chicago on a QuestBridge scholarship. While she does not have an exact plan, Delphonse, a child of Haitian immigrants, hopes to continue living a fulfilled life as an engaged member of an interconnected society.

Ousmane Thiam received a QuestBridge scholarship to attend Boston College, where he plans to major in business and finance.

Thiam, who attended Uncommon Schools since kindergarten, credits the Uncommon curriculum for getting him noticed by colleges.

"The number of Advanced Placement courses that were available to me helped boost my GPA and signaled to colleges that I was ready for rigorous work,” he said. “And also, the structure in the classrooms prepared us for college."

Lizana Rodriguez received a QuestBridge scholarship to attend the University of Pennsylvania in the fall, where she plans to study criminology and neuroscience. She hopes to join the FBI one day and overall focus on the study of the brain and behavior.

Besides being a stellar student, Lizana volunteered for a program called EL Puente, where she mentored 8th graders transitioning to high school and assisted in community outreach.

Rodriguez credited the counselors at her high school with helping her get into college.

“They edited all my supplements, they gave me advice on other things and they just really helped me with my application,” she said. “They helped me with emotional support as well. And they're also one of the main reasons that I am where I am now.”