In November, three alumni of schools managed by the Partnership in New York from 2013-2024 joined the organization’s Board of Trustees meeting to discuss the foundation they received in Partnership-run elementary schools. Their experiences speak with unique power to the impact that urban Catholic schools can have when they get the support they need.
Antoine Peralta-Castro
Our Lady Queen of Angels, 2018
Cristo Rey-New York High School, 2022
Fordham University, 2026
A lot of kids at the public elementary school I attended were not advancing academically, and a teacher advised my mother and father to send me to Catholic school. At Our Lady Queen of Angels, a Partnership School, the teachers cared about me, and I was always learning—surpassing my limitations. It didn’t just benefit me; my three younger brothers went too. My brothers are achieving way more than I have.
I went to Cristo Rey New York, and now I am attending Fordham University, studying computer science. I don’t think I would have gone to college if I had stayed on the path I was on, considering where I was going to school.
One step into a great education can lead to multiple doors opening.
Arlenys Ceballos
St. Athanasius, 2017
Cristo Rey-New York High School, 2021
John Jay College, 2025
My parents made a lot of sacrifices when they immigrated to the United States. One of those sacrifices was making sure that I had a quality education. When they could have paid for a car or a new house instead, they paid for me to go to school. It would be one thing if they sent me to a school where, you know, teachers were just there for the paycheck. But at my Partnership school, St. Athanasius, the teachers genuinely had heart and soul, and they would take time out of their days just to make sure I was OK. I struggled in classes in English, but the teachers would try their best to make me understand things and support me academically.
I would not be where I am today or have the resume that I have without that foundation. I am studying at John Jay and working at a law firm where I am able to find a community of people who truly care for me and want to see me succeed, and I want to see them succeed.
It is a great fortune that I have—that the Partnership was able to come and bless my life in an unexpected way, when I was eight years old and didn’t want to do my math homework. I am grateful for the experiences there that have led me to be the woman I am today.
Josue Ramos Carpio
Our Lady Queen of Angels, 2017
Xavier High School, 2021
City University, 2025
Partnership Schools have impacted my life and my family’s life. I was in the public school system before, and it was OK, but I felt lost. At Our Lady Queen of Angels, I felt like I really had a place to be. Now, I am studying political science in the honors program at City College, and I am a Colin Powell Fellow in Leadership and Public Service.
My middle school teacher sparked my love for history and political science. I remember him pushing me to read the hardest books, and then read a little more. Now I am thankful for it as I’m studying cases that are 200 pages long, and I remember him.
He and my principal pushed me toward the right choice for high school, which was Xavier. My brothers have gone to Xavier too, which shows just how transformative OLQA was.
My principal at OLQA pushed me to get involved on campus, and now I work in student government and am vice-president of the pre-law society. I interned at Freed Frank this summer, and after law school I would like to be in a corporate law firm that challenges me every day to think outside the box and learn more about business and the world. I also want to give back to my community; that’s the biggest goal.
