January 11th saw the arrival of Bronx River graduates, spanning from as recently as 2023 to as far back as Bronx River’s first graduating class in 2017. During the 4th period, the graduates were allowed to wander the halls to talk with old friends and visit teachers they missed. During the 5th and 6th periods, alumni spoke to the senior class in the library. They shared their experiences in high school and spoke about how becoming an adult had been for them.
Assistant principal Tene Kelly led the question and answer session with the alumni.
What type of student were you in high school? What was your plan for college and did you follow through?
Anjelica Ramirez, who graduated in 2017, says, “I kept to myself and I was a quiet kid in high school. I was salutatorian and I graduated in four years. I probably would’ve done better if I deviated from that because now I’m burnt out, but I have a master’s degree at 25.”
Anjelica studied psychology at Hunter College.
Hisan Milanes, who graduated in 2021, adds, “I was a bad student and I was always being sent to 400. At first I wanted to go to the Navy, but Ms. Brown pushed me to go to an HBCU and now I do an internship at Buffalo. I have a full scholarship and a 3.8 GPA and I’m in law school.”
John Melendez, who graduated in 2022, responds, “I was more sociable in high school and I was a jokester. I didn’t have much of a plan after high school, but as the founder of the Bronx River ESPORTS team, I decided to study gaming at Bronx Community College.”
What advice do you want to give to the current seniors at Bronx River?
Charlotte Leurs, who graduated in 2018, said, “ If you are an athlete, you should apply to as many scholarships as possible and choose a college that will help you get your degree while playing your sport the most. My scholarship is for Basketball and even though I tore my ACL my freshman year, I was still able to keep my scholarship.”
Aletxy Perez, who graduated in 2022, replied, “You need to study in college because you might get 90 percent on a test without studying in high school, but in college you might only get 70 percent on a test after four to five hours of studying.”
Ms. Kelly says that, “I felt thrilled to see so many Alumni and I have been at Bronx River since 2018. I am especially proud of Giani Umanzor who graduated in 2022 because he was unsure of what he wanted to do after high school, but he got a job as an exterminator which is secure and pays really well. I am also proud of Phoebe Johnson who also graduated in 2022 because she is studying Communication disorders and plans to get her masters degree.”
Some Alumni went to Jefferson Veliz, the college application advisor for Bronx River, in order to do their FAFSA for the second semester., “It was good to see them because they are doing good in school and I want to know about their experiences and I want to support them and give them advice for the next semester and the future,’’ he said.
