After losing her mother, and a mid-year move from Chicago, Student is embraced by school community and is now moving on to college

Jaclyn Allyn is member of 1^st graduating class at Charter School of Educational Excellence in Yonkers 

YONKERS, N.Y., June 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Forced to abruptly relocate from Chicago to Yonkers, NY, four years ago when her mother died of breast cancer, Jaclyn Allyn didn't know where she and her two siblings would continue their studies.

"It was a very complicated situation. My dad was already in New York because we were planning to move here after I graduated middle school," said Allyn, 18, who on June 23 graduated from the Charter School of Educational Excellence (CSEE). "My mom died halfway through the year, and it was a situation in which no one was taking care of the kids, so we had to move to Yonkers with my dad so we wouldn't get put into the foster system."

Allyn was accepted by the CSEE as a ninth grader, and she is now a member of the Class of 2023, the school's first graduating senior class with a graduation rate of 98 percent. She gives the school staff credit for her success. "Their support for me and my family after my mother's death gave me strength and the confidence that I could go on. And I can't say enough about them," she said.

"And I have my Dad. We got closer, so he's one of my best friends now. I can go to him for anything. And I also have a couple of staff members at the school who I know I can trust, who I can confide in as part of my support system," said Allyn, who will enter Clark Atlanta University in September.

Members of the Class of 2023 accepted offers from some of the country's most prestigious universities, including Cornell University, New York University, Boston University, and other competitive schools. Most of the school's graduating seniors have already taken college-credit courses, and they will not need remedial courses in college.

"Our school was founded with the belief that all children can excel academically if they are given rigorous course work," said high school principal Dwain Palmer. "The higher education destinations for our first graduating class prove that children from all backgrounds can gain entry to the most competitive schools if they are given the chance to succeed. Jaclyn is a great example of the crucially important role a school can play in shaping a student's future."

The Class of 2023's June graduation rate of 98 percent is significantly higher than the New York state average, which was 87 percent in 2022. Students earned more than $7.5 million in scholarships. 

The first graduating senior class is the CSEE's latest accomplishment. Earlier this year the K-12 school cut a ribbon on professional-grade performance stage to expose students to the world of performance and media production. In 2021 the school opened its $27 million high school building at 220 Warburton Ave.

Many members of the Class of 2023 chose to stay local and attend colleges close to home, including Mercy College, Iona University and Westchester Community College. The City University of New York and the State University of New York systems were also popular.

Allyn chose Clark Atlanta University because she wanted to attend a historically Black institution and Atlanta was her target city. She said her four years at the CSEE prepared her well for college and made her resilient.

"I'm always ready for anything that's thrown at me because I've had a lot of obstacles in my life," said Allyn. "I know that there are going to be a lot of hard things coming towards me and I don't know what they are yet, but I'm very excited to be moving forward and I know my experiences at CSEE have given me the chance to move to the next level."

SOURCE Charter School of Educational Excellence