CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF jANUARY 2008

Platinum Sponsors:

Year Up NYC hosted its second graduation on January 29th, 2008 in the atrium of the Embassy Suites Hotel, World Financial Center. We were overwhelmed by the impressive turnout for our 2nd graduation ceremony. Our graduation brought together 300 corporate and community partners, Year Up mentors and alumni to welcome the 26 graduates and their families. We were fortunate to be sponsored by Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, Centerline Capital Group and Morgan Stanley. Sabet Elias, Chief Technology Officer at Lehman Brothers, honored us as the keynote speaker, and we presented him with the Urban Empowerment Award. Mr. Elias spoke of his personal journey, the value of partnering with Year Up, and the need of programs like Year Up NYC for our city's youth.

Jason Coullette, the student speaker and an apprentice with Lehman Brothers, moved the audience with his words; "My life and the lives of my family and friends have been changed forever. Because of Year Up, I have the knowledge and skills to go anywhere and succeed even after today."

The strength of the graduating class was complemented by support from our corporate partners. At present, 65% of our graduates have received full-time offers with the goal of 85% securing full-time employment within the next few months.

10 students received $1,000 scholarships to continue their education. The funding for these scholarships was made possible by generous support from Nancy and Michael Feller, Molly and Michael Bogdan and Gregory Gunn. These scholarships reward our partnership with Pace University, which provides our students with the chance to earn up to 16 transferable college credits.

Our inaugural graduation represented a major milestone in youth workforce development in New York City; Year Up NYC's second graduation represents the overwhelming dedication and support for this work by the city's corporate and public communities, and a turning point in the lives of the 26 graduates we honored in our ceremony.

Additionally, Year Up NYC is honored to announce the Class of July 2008 awards:

The Dave Retik Award for Excellence: Sylvia Ramos

The Chris Mello Award for Leadership: Roberto Velez