CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF july 2007

Year Up NYC hosted its first graduation on July 30th, 2007 in the sunlit atrium of the Embassy Suites Hotel, World Financial Center. Our 230 guests included family members, corporate partners, program supporters, and community leaders. The platinum sponsor of the event was Merrill Lynch. We were honored to have Diane L. Schueneman, Senior Vice President and Head of the Global Infrastructure Solutions Group at Merrill Lynch, as our keynote speaker, and we presented her with the Urban Empowerment Award. Ms. Schueneman cited the importance of partnering with Year Up to compete in the "war for talent" in which corporations are engaged. Deputy Mayor Dennis M. Walcott spoke on behalf of the Bloomberg administration, and gave a personal and warm introduction of the student speaker.

John Sherman, the student speaker, moved the audience with his comparison of construction at the Year Up NYC office and the graduating students: "The contractors worked on the building and the staff worked on us. We formed a bond within our community and pushed each other to be better. Now, 55 Exchange Place and the students of Year Up NYC's founding class are in the same condition: we are unique, attractive to the human eye, and upgraded from our origin."

Year Up NYC is honored to announce the Class of July 2007 awards and scholarships:

The Dave Retik Award for Excellence: Brenda Aquino

The Chris Mello Award for Leadership: John Sherman

Scholarship donated by Charles Payne: Ashli Jones

Scholarships donated by Greg Gunn: Edder Mella and Husayn Whigham

An article about the Year Up NYC graduation was published by Wall Street & Technology at http://www.wallstreetandtech.com/blog/archives/2007/07/merrill_lynch_l.html