Why my high-school inspired me to be a social entrepreneur
What is innovation?
I’ve spent the last four years trying to answer this question, and although I’ve found a few answers along the way, there is one example that far surpasses the rest: the Institute for Collaborative Education.
The Institute for Collaborative Education (ICE), is a public middle and high-school in downtown Manhattan, that I was lucky enough to attend for seven years.
As a fifth grader enrolled at my local public school, it came time for me to find a middle-school. Although many NYC kids take advantage of the public school system, and attend their district schools from elementary through high-school, I decided to look elsewhere. I applied to a range of public schools outside of my school district, which is where I found ICE.
It started with a tour of the school. My parents and I sat in the auditorium and watched many of the ICE teachers, who I’d come to love and look up to, dance and sing their way across the stage. They shared stories of how they taught calculus alongside To Kill a Mockingbird, and how they graded students through panel discussions, as opposed to standardized tests. We were sold.
I was then interviewed by the admissions team, who asked me questions about my interests- a shock to me, who had been interviewed by many private schools, all of which asked why I’d be a suitable candidate to join their 6th grade class. They showed me classrooms, introduced me to students, and followed up with an acceptance letter later that month.
Only half of ICE’s students were accepted through that process. The other half were discovered by our former principal. He found students who were homeless, addicted to drugs, neglected by their families: students who were in need of an education, and he gave them a place to call home. He surrounded them by students who would inspire them, by teachers who would support them. He created an environment where everyone could define success for themselves, and reach it alongside their new-found family.
Fast-forward seven years, to when I graduated with sixty other students from all over the city, from various backgrounds, with different experiences and opportunities, but with the inevitably strong bond of being ICE graduates.
The premise behind ICE wasn’t only to support low-income students who were in search for a home, and an education- but to also show students like me, who had indefinite amounts of opportunity and support, how lucky we were.
I learned more from the students I grew up with, than they did from me- and that’s thanks to the innovation that ICE is based on. ICE is as much of a social enterprise than Kiva, Ashoka, or any of the big names I’ve spent the last four years learning about and discussing. Their goal is to provide students from all over the city with a unique learning experience that will inspire and support them in their search for college degrees, and high-wage job opportunities.
I’m proud to say I’m a graduate of the most innovative, socially conscious, and entrepreneurial high-schools in all of New York City.
