Amanda, Student Alum
I faced difficulties in school because I had trouble understanding the English language and getting along with my classmates. I remember my mother applying me to multiple summer schools to help further my education. From the years 2010-2012, I would go and attend various summer schools until my mother heard about the GO Project. I attended my first summer school at GO Project in 2013.
GO Project’s goal is to shape the future of low-income New York City public school children. They aim to change the lives of many children and their families by providing free academic, social, and emotional support. In addition to the mental support, GO Project had many fun and extraordinary experiences. As a GO Project alumni, I attended all the Saturday programs, summer programs, and other opportunities, gaining many unforgettable memories.
Some of my most memorable memories include the summer I learned about photography and video editing, learned capoeira with my classmates, took a trip to the forest and told stories around an open fire, met two energetic children from reading buddies, volunteered over the summer of 2019, and met one of my closest friends. All of these moments demonstrate me as an individual with my own experiences. I was able to express my childhood mind because of the GO Project and their desire to support low-income individuals.
Whenever someone asks me this question “What do you want to be in the future?” I always responded with “I don’t know.” I was stuck in this swirling hole full of self-doubt, unknowing of what would be of me in the future. However, there was a person in the GO Project that had changed my mindset even if it was only a bit. She was a TA at GO Project during my last year in 2019. Every Saturday I would be excited to go to class so I could talk to her. Our conversations had no set topics and we talked as if we were old friends. One day as I was walking home after class, we bumped into each other. I was enjoying my time talking to her until she asked me the question, “What do you want to do when you grow up?” I was tired of the same old question and replied with my go-to answer “I don’t know.” I was used to the adults comforting me and moving on to the next topic, but instead, she answered back, “What are you interested in?” This was the first time an adult had continued their questioning. It felt as if she was seeing me eye to eye, as a future adult. As I continued conversing with her, the deeper our conversation went. Before we walked our separate ways she told me, “You have plenty of time to think about it. Just do what you want to do.” It was the answer that every other adult had replied with but from her, it sounded different. She sounded genuine. That was the first time I felt unafraid to talk about my future.
Now in 2023, I am a senior applying to college majoring in architecture. As an architect, I aim to connect the development of society to its people. One of my career goals is to design, arrange, and make my artwork a reality for the public's benefit. I have the GO Project to thank for being one of the few resources that made me who I am today. I learned leadership skills to ensure my group's success. And I learned how to overcome my challenges and speak for myself. The adults within the GO Project community put their time and effort into every student academically and emotionally. It is because of GO Project's many hands-on activities and thorough thinking exercises that pushed me to pursue architecture. I owe the GO Project a huge thanks for playing a part in who I am as an individual in society today."
Yumi, Student Alum
Yumi is a 2023 Meringoff Family Foundation college scholarship recipient for her winning essay on what GO Project has meant to her.
They've assisted me in discovering my own hobbies and forging my own path. With the help of the G Project, I went from failing and having little knowledge of my topics to taking my education very seriously and maintaining a 100.72 grade point average throughout high school. A few objectives I have for the future that GO Project has helped me with include getting ready for college and improving my profession and self.
I was raised in lower Manhattan's Chinatown, which was primarily populated by people of Chinese descent who shared my language, appearance, and behavior. But having the opportunity to learn about all these many cultural aspects inspired me to step outside of my comfort zone and be open to new possibilities. The fact that GO Project had excellent translators and people who were qualified for the job and appreciated their value was astonishing to me because I had a significant language barrier with my parents. I appreciated how the teachers and volunteers spoke to me and interacted with me as though we were on the same level. Because I had never participated because I believed my voice wasn't necessary, I had never really realized how significant my own voice was. Moreover, GO Project not only helped me with my academics but also with my social and emotional aspects of life.
I had always assumed that due to racial prejudices, I should have a natural aptitude for academics, but the GO Project made me realize that I matter. Also, my mental health is just as important as my accomplishments. Which brings me to the decision I made in one day: I want to go back to GO Project to provide money, volunteer, and help out other students who were having a hard time getting the help they needed."
Lanese, Sixth Grade
Lanese has been attending GO Project programs since the 1st grade. She shared GO's impact on her education at the 2022 Spring Benefit. "It's an environment where you feel safe."
The Dejoie Family
The Dejoie Family has three children enrolled in the GO Project. Lorenzo, Soraya, and David, along with their parents, talk about the impact GO has had on their lives during the pandemic.
Lirianny, Seventh Grade
GO Project "helped me express myself more because I feel like I can be myself and it gave me a lot of extra confidence."
"The teachers at GO help you a lot. At school, the teachers are strict with you. At GO, they are nice. If you can't figure out something, GO teachers will help you. But sometimes they want you to figure it out by yourself, which helps also.
At school, I used to look for help and would get stressed trying to find the answer to the questions by myself. Sometimes I'd get mad at school. Or mad at other people if they were teasing me.
But at GO, I feel calm and can concentrate. Because I know they are going to help me and not bother me. GO helped me with my approach to school work with reading and writing. At first, I had to force myself to read. I used to not like reading or writing, but now I love it. Because of GO, I raise my hand a lot in class. I am aware of stuff like reading and writing, sports, and making friends. If I didn't have GO, it would be more stressful, because I would get stuck in my reading and writing.
At GO, if you do a good job with your progress, they will reward you. GO helps you by teaching you all the stuff that you are going to learn at school, before it is taught to you. Because of GO, I can do much better in stuff that I never knew about, like how to make friends and how to keep myself safe. If it wasn't for GO, I would be feeling kind of sad, because I would stress myself at school without knowing all the stuff that I know now."
Yuki, Second Grade
"I feel good when I'm at the GO Project. I like that we get to draw pictures and try our best. I like the teachers because they are nice. I would be sad if I couldn't come to the GO Project because it's fun here.
The GO Project teaches me how to make friends and how to not be bullied. They teach us to play with each other and to not push or kick or fight.
If I didn't come to the GO Project, I wouldn't be good at school. The GO Project helps me to do better at school and helps me to be smart. When a teacher asks me a question, I know the answer. Now, I'm going to know everything when I grow up!"
Yumi, Fourth Grade (Yuki's Sister)
"I first started going to the GO Project when I was in kindergarten. I came to GO to learn and have some fun. I learned new ways to do math. They make up games to play that make reading and writing fun. When they teach me math then I am better at it at school. GO teaches you other stuff too. Like last summer, they taught us how to stop bullying.
If I couldn't come to GO, I would feel pretty sad because GO helps me and is fun. If you don't have fun, you won't be happy in your life. GO makes me feel happy. And people care about you at GO. The teachers are nice. GO is a special place for kids because kids need to learn to do math, writing and reading, so when they grow up they can do what they want."
Brittany, Tenth Grade 
"When I was in kindergarten and first grade I had a really hard time with all the reading, math, and spelling work. The school that I went to had a lot of kids in the classes, so it was very hard for the teachers to see if someone was struggling. I was feeling that everyone else was getting it and I wasn't. I would just sit there and not ask questions because I didn't want to feel dumb or have people look at me like I'm stupid. So my teacher introduced the GO Project to me.
GO helped by really focusing on my needs. We did little activities so I wasn't so overwhelmed with school work. I got to not only learn, but get better in school. A lot of the stuff I learned at the GO Project I wasn't learning yet at school, so I would be ahead of other students. If I didn't understand something, the GO Project teachers would make sure I got it. They would come over to ask if something was wrong and would try to break through that wall. All the teachers at GO are very in love with what they do, they would probably not sleep well at night if they knew one of their kids is not doing well.
GO Project pushed me to speak my mind and to not be scared. That experience helped me with my relationships with my family, my friends and my teachers. The confidence and social skills that I've gained from the GO Project are going to help me in the long run because when I go to job interview, or college interview, or if I'm trying to make friends in college, my confidence in myself is going to help me to stand out.
If I didn't have GO, I think I would still be struggling in school and would fall behind in a lot of my classes. I'm an honors student in all my classes now. GO has helped me understand my work and have different strategies to understand my work, but if I didn't have that I think I would be suffering a lot.
The GO Project is probably one of the most important programs about education in New York City because it pushes students to be something better and supports them in their goals and follows up with them as they continue, even after they leave the program.
When I grow up, I want to be either a computer programmer or a teacher. GO Project has helped me develop those goals and has inspired me to be something really amazing."
Luis, Eleventh Grade
"I started GO around the first grade. I was always naturally smart, but I wasn't always able to use it. GO enabled me to use my abilities, so I thank them for that. I was born here, but immediately I went to where my Mom is from, Ecuador, and learned Spanish. So English became my second language. When I came back here to go to school, I wasn't able to express myself. It was hard. It made me somewhat dislike the English language because it wasn't easy for me to grasp it.
GO helped me because, unlike school where there are 30 students for one teacher, I had one specific person just to help me out. I remember before I came I was kind of shy. I still kind of am, but I'm more outgoing in class now--I'm able to raise my hand without thinking, "Oh, people are going to hear me," or thinking about whether I'm going to stutter. I am more confident now, I am doing better in my English classes and all of my grades are better, thanks to GO. I've also been volunteering at GO for about five years. At first, I wasn't sure it was the best thing for me to do, but then I realized the kids here were getting happier and learning, just like I did, so I had to give back to GO. Now, I am focused on studying and want to be an engineer for the Air Force when I grow up, and I'm confident I can get there."
GO PROJECT'S LONG-TERM IMPACT
Research from John Hopkins University reveals that if a student exhibits just one of these behaviors by the sixth grade — poor attendance, disruptive behavior, and course failure in math and English — it leads to a 15-25% chance of them graduating on time. However, if a student reaches the tenth grade on grade level and on time, they have a 75% chance of graduating on time.
With this in mind, the GO Project intervenes in the early elementary and middle school years because we know it is the most effective time to make an impact. Our students receive an additional 42 days of instruction annually to help them make academic gains, enter high-performing middle and high schools, and graduate within four years.
On average:
- 9th grade GO students have higher GPAs, accumulated more credits, and attended school more than their peers, all predictors of on-time high school graduation
- 90% of GO alumni graduate high school on time (compared to 80% citywide)
- 85% of GO alumni with IEPs graduate high school on time (compared to 50% citywide)
- 80% of GO alumni enroll in a 4-year college, more than doubling their chances of attaining a college degree
