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"
R e f l e c t i o n o n M y
E x p e r i e n c e a t C r o t o n a "
Jose Rodriguez
2007
I’m Jose
Rodriguez at the Crotona Center.
“Business is
predicated on trust and communication”. My instructor and mentor at
Crotona uttered these words yet again as I silently thought, “there
he goes again”. My freshman year was the first time I was exposed to
Crotona. It was shocking; for the first time, someone saw great
potential in me, which scared me. But also, it was the first time
someone saw me at such a deep level, both strengths and weaknesses.
Despite hearing for the first time how much I needed to improve, on
some level, I had a sense that he was trying to help me so I could
grow more fully as a person. I guess I thought I was unprepared to
meet the challenge and work for such a demanding person, I later
learned there was a purpose behind this challenge. It’s that purpose
that I would like to share with you now.
In the beginning
of my junior year, I shook hands firmly with the Crotona business
program director, which sealed my commitment to the Professional
Skills Development program called PSD. The material was difficult,
to say the least; it was a constant struggle on my part and that of
my peers to comprehend the material. There was a moment that I
questioned whether I belonged in PSD. I was wondering whether or not
there was any deeper meaning to this program’s curriculum of MBA
case studies, taught with a rapid, perfection-seeking pace. I felt
stressed at times, which led to doubting; but I was wrong in my
doubt because the deeper meaning and purpose for the demanding
program became clear later on with the help of the Crotona
volunteers.
Crotona fosters
the discovery of one’s identity in an environment in which I am able
to see myself more clearly for who I am: a person with strengths to
develop as well as faults to overcome.
I was born in
the Dominican Republic, and immigrated to the U.S. when I was five.
Because my family speaks Spanish at home, I had to put more effort
into learning the English language. Crotona provided some help with
that real challenge. It came in an array of ways and through
different people connected with Crotona. If it wasn’t with Dave in
our one-on-one speed-reading sessions, it was with John Thomas
helping me to use active voice in my papers. Crotona understands and
strives, to provide tailored mentoring and tutoring, realizing each
student is unique.
Last summer I interned at Lehman Brothers, learning equity research
in an investment-banking department. Among various topics, I learned
about equity and commodity trading through studying the alternative
energy market. These business transactions were nothing like the
transactions I witness almost daily while living at the corner of
Amsterdam and Audubon in Washington Heights. All of us kids in the
neighborhood have drug dealers to look at almost every day we step
outside. However, the individuals I look up to are not the drug
dealers on the street corners, but people like John Thomas, the
JPMorgan associate who leaves work on Saturday mornings to volunteer
at Crotona, or Angel and Craig, the Lehman Vice Presidents who spent
a lot of time with me last summer. All of these people connected
with Crotona have the character traits that I want for myself:
commitment, responsibility, and dependability. Role models open
doors; the volunteers have opened mine and many other students at
Crotona through their example.
I participated in other after school programs that help with
schoolwork, or preparation for the SAT, but I always found something
missing. Crotona provides these same programs, but goes beyond by
challenging youth to reflect on who they are and on what it means to
truly be a free man. This poses a challenge, which can be
overwhelming at times and requires maturity. If a person backs away
from the challenge to improve himself when the challenge has
apparently become too difficult, which is often the realization of
his own weaknesses, he doesn’t grow. However, if a person overcomes
that barrier of self-comfort, then he becomes more fully a person –
a person capable of greater service and leadership. To put it
another way, individuals take responsibility for their actions when
they are confronted with difficult decisions. For example, during my
internship at Lehman, I was given tasks with very little guidance as
opposed to being spoon-feed. Crotona’s demanding program prepared me
even though, in the moment, I didn’t understand the purpose for it.
We all know that the best things in life are often the most
difficult to accomplish, even the most painful. Well this principle
is only that, a principle, until one has encountered the experience
of it. Crotona provides this experience and it will be an experience
that I will always carry with me!!!
Dave emphasized
the great importance of trust and communication because he knew a
truth that I had to discover for myself. This discovery happened at
my internship this summer, where I experienced the importance of
communication and trust in conducting good business. Communication
and trust are not easy, but one must trust to be trusted. I learned
that I have to earn people’s trust first by being a man of my word –
that is, by making my actions reveal the truth of my words.
Every time I go to the Crotona Center, I see many young kids eagerly
raising their hands to have John Riccobono, the director of the
center, check their work. This is striking to me because most young
kids don’t have that eagerness to learn. Consequently, this year
I’ve been volunteering as a tutor of younger kids at Crotona and I
recognize that if I had met Crotona in elementary school, I would be
at a higher level than I am now as a high school senior. I also see
that the support of all of you here tonight plays a crucial role in
being able to help people. But, Crotona has taught me that truly
helping others is to give them the experience that they are
understood and that someone genuinely cares about them. It seems to
me that Bowie Kuhn did this in an exemplary way. His example of
selfless service is one that I seek to imitate.
I’d like to
thank everyone for coming tonight and supporting Crotona. And most
of all, I’d like to thank my mom. Thank you mom for your positive
influence in my life; always pushing me to be and do better.
Thank you.
"
A l u m ' s T e s t i m o n i a l "
Leopoldo
Benavides
The Crotona
Center had a positive impact on me throughout my elementary and high
school years by changing my view of education. At a young age,
Crotona instilled in me the importance of achieving academic
excellence in the classroom and sportsmanship on the field. The
summer programs and individual tutoring sessions help me raise my
academic bar for high school and college and create a strong work
ethic in my professional career. Although I didn’t realize it at the
time, I was fortunate to have positive role models who laid the
groundwork for me.
I grew up in the South Bronx where my mother worked endless hours as
a seamstress to provide for my two brothers and I after my father
and my uncle were killed in the 1990 Happyland arson fire. My
neighborhood was filled with violence and drug dealers—not the best
role models. They wanted me to skip school and hang out on the
street corners. Until I found Crotona, it was difficult to go to
school and ignore those people. Crotona became for me a constructive
place where I could be a kid while learning true values and virtues
for life. As a result, I was able earn a Bachelor's degree in
finance. I now analyze potential acquisition deals and corporate
finance projects for USI Holdings Corporation.
The mission of Crotona comes full circle by allowing me to help
students who are currently in the same situation I once faced. As a
volunteer it’s now my turn to serve. On Saturdays I prepare 8th
graders for the Catholic high school admission exam, which
determines which schools they get accepted to and their financial
assistance package. In addition, we help parents throughout the high
school selection process by organizing visits to the schools and
discussions. Today, my experience reminds me of my duty as a role
model to instill good habits by accepting nothing less than
excellence and integrity from each student, and teaching them the
difference between right and wrong.
Crotona lays the foundation to help young students from a rough
environment develop strong character. It reminds me of our
obligation, as a society to serve our communities and to help the
less fortunate.
"
W h y A l u m n i E n r o l l T
h e i r S o n s i n C r o t o n
a "
Marcus
Soler
I am 33 years
old and the Facility Coordinator for Allston and Bird, LLP in
Manhattan. I grew up in the South Bronx and it was a rough start—I
always seemed to find myself in trouble in school and out of school.
My mother (Nereida Soler) was involved in my school, St. John
Chrysostom, where she worked with a great group of guys (from Opus
Dei) who were helping to teach catechism. One of these guys, Jim
Snow, had this crazy idea of taking a few of us kids hiking. With my
mother’s blessing and my Father somewhat reluctant, we went on our
first trip - a bunch of us and poor Jim.
Wow! Someone wanted to take us out! And, they were even concerned
about how we did in school. And while he was showing us some manners
and what it means to become a man, we gave him a hard time and tried
to scare him out of this crazy idea. But guess what? We lost that
battle.
Yes, thank God Jim won because without this crazy idea, I would not
be here. I don't know how to say this, but without Crotona, a lot of
kids would be lost. I have taken a lot of what they have shown me
here and I still use it almost every day. In my relationship with my
father growing up and now with my own son this has a great benefit
to all of us. My father has always been reluctant to ask for help.
However, through the program’s focus on moral character, even he has
learned to do a better job in raising me to be a man.
This program has shown me so much, and still keeps on showing me. I
keep in touch with a number of the original Crotona kids and it is
clear that as a result of our involvement, all of us have succeed
much more than we would have on our own. Since I know that this
program works, I now have enrolled my son in the program. And so
far, he always comes home happier than when he leaves the house.
This program works so well that last week he went apple picking and
he came home telling me some things that I should do because John
Riccobono, the program director, showed him. Seeing the confidence
it has built in him just reminds me of all that the program has done
and continues to do for us, and how much we really need it. Thank
you Crotona for all that you do!
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Crotona Center