“A world where education is valued above all else and all things seemed possible.”
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I was raised in the Germantown section of Philadelphia where I attended Greene Street Friends School from K -8th grades and Germantown Friends High School. I grew up on a block in Germantown surrounded by my parents and extended family, many of who settled in Philadelphia from Puerto Rico. My parents sacrificed personally for many years in order to be able to send me to the prestigious friends schools and provide me with an opportunity they were never afforded growing up.
I remember being reminded daily of how fortunate I was to attend Germantown Friends. A European choir trip, choir camp, basketball camp, a trip to Puerto Rico with my Spanish class and a month in Spain for my Junior project were experiences that shaped my vision of the world. I understood that these experiences were uniquely mine as a result of attending a private school. I was also really aware of the lack of opportunity for those that did not attend my school. I remember early on wanting to show young people, who shared my family’s background, what I considered to be “the other side” – a world where education is valued above all else and all things seemed possible.
While I was fortunate to attend GFS, it was the first time I encountered the struggle of juggling two worlds. At GFS I learned to present a restrained adaptation of myself in an attempt to fly under the radar and survive in a world that was so different and foreign from my “real” family life. The academic foundation I built at GFS made my transition to Hofstra University in New York City seamless, allowing me the freedom to explore more social and cultural interests. I appreciated the chance to socialize with students of diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. I was a confident and proficient college student as a result of my private school education. I also found myself comfortable in a variety of social circles as a result of spending my childhood and adolescence at private schools.
Since graduating college I have worked in the mental health field in urban communities of color in New York and Philadelphia. I spent the last 5 years as a college counselor working with high school students who will be 1st generation college students. Recently I completed my Masters Degree in School Counseling at The University of Pennsylvania and have now transitioned into the role of High School Counselor for the Philadelphia School. I have the privilege of working at a neighborhood public school for all girls in North Philadelphia. The passion that drives my work was born at GFS, where I learned about “the other side”. I saw first-hand how limitless the world could be if I settled for nothing less than the best possible education. I work every day to try to sell that same idea. I try to open the doors to higher education for young girls who have yet to realize their potential; same potential I realized as a result of my family’s work ethic and my private school education.
- Sonia Szymanski
