Future Success Symposium 2020
2020-01-17 | SUNY Global Center
The CollegeBound Initiative (CBI) Alumni Engagement team and the SUNY Office of Enrollment Management and Student Success teamed together for our inaugural Future Success Symposium in NYC!
The Future Success Symposium was an opportunity for our CBI alumni to join their peers across various college campuses and empower them to successfully navigate college’s evolving landscape. Alumni presentations were an integral part of this conference and our overall mission to promote student success. Future Success Symposium attendees left the event equipped with the skills and expertise they need to be effective leaders, scholars, and agents of change.

(Em)Power Breakfast 2019
2019-10-10 08:00 - 09:00 (America/New_York) | Cipriani 42nd Street, New York, NY, United States
Thank you to everyone who helped make Student Leadership Network’s
13th annual (Em)Power Breakfast a success on Thursday, October 10th at Cipriani 42nd Street!

We were thrilled to celebrate the amazing accomplishments of our students with the nearly 500 champions and supporters in attendance. Thanks to the overwhelming support of our sponsors and attendees, we raised more than $1.2 million, supporting our five New York City-based TYWLS schools, as well as 15 affiliate schools across the country, impacting the lives of more than 9,000 students nationwide. We truly cannot do this work without you. Watch our honoree videos!

Step Ahead 5K Run/Walk 2019
2019-06-15 10:00 - 13:00 | Riverside Park, New York, New York, United States
Thank you to everyone who helped make Student Leadership Network’s Inaugural Step Ahead 5K Run/Walk a success on Saturday, June 15th in Riverside Park!
With the generous support of more than 800 registrants, we raised over $160,000 to support CollegeBound Initiative (CBI). Together, we celebrated CBI’s Directors of College Counseling and their transformative work with nearly 2,800 graduating seniors from our 32 public partner schools across New York City.
Thank you to our Step Ahead Ambassador Angela Simmons, Fitness Instructor Tashon Hopkins and DJ Olivia Dope for getting us warmed up and ready to race!
To view event photos, click here.
Special thanks to our Event Sponsors

(Em)Power Breakfast 2018
2018-10-16 08:00 - 09:00 | Cipriani 42nd Street, New York, NY, United States
STUDENT LEADERSHIP NETWORK HONORS TRACEE ELLIS ROSS, BRUCE MOSLER AND VALERIE RADWANER AT ANNUAL (EM)POWER BREAKFAST IN NEW YORK CITY
October 17, 2018, New York, New York — Yesterday, Student Leadership Network (SL Network) produced their annual (Em)Power Breakfast, a gathering of 700 guests to celebrate more than 2,500 girls who are impacted by The Young Women’s Leadership Schools (TYWLS) in New York City. The event honors the organization’s students and their achievements, as well as business and philanthropic leaders for their commitment to breaking the cycle of poverty through equalizing education.
Ayana Gilbert, a 9th grade student at TYWLS of East Harlem, opened the program with her original poem “What is Beautiful.” Following, Founder and President Ann Tisch welcomed guests to the event and urged the crowd to continue to support girls’ education and Student Leadership Network’s mission to empower a diverse pipeline of young people, by providing them with access to educational opportunities that prepare them to become global change agents.
Executive Director, Jemina Bernard, announced the organization’s official name change from Young Women’s Leadership Network to Student Leadership Network. She then introduced students from several affiliates from around the country, including the schools in Baltimore, MD; Chicago, IL; St. Louis, MO; Wilmington, NC; and Rochester, NY to walk the stage and introduce themselves to the audience.
Laura Rebell Gross, head of Girls’ Education at the organization, highlighted the stellar work and support her team provides to the schools in New York City and nationwide. Since 2001, TYWLS has helped garner more than $123 M in scholarships and financial aid for students going to college, and nearly 100% of students graduate each year. TYWLS students graduate from college at nearly four times the rate of their peers.
Sophia Fiallo served as the student emcee for the event and shared her personal experience attending TWYLS and how it has changed her life for the better. “The (Em)Power event gives us the chance to showcase our amazing young women. They often share their compelling stories about their families, their struggles, and their victories. I don’t want anyone to ever forget how accomplished and driven our students are,” says Ann Tisch.
Actress and philanthropist Tracee Ellis Ross joined the event, via Skype, and was interviewed by fellow Brown and TYWLS of East Harlem alumnae Jo’Nella Ellerbe and Geetanjali Gunanathan. Tracee chatted about the importance of finding mentors and how she came to be inspired to serve as a voice for women in today’s world. Bruce Mosler, Chairman, Global Brokerage at Cushman & Wakefield, was interviewed by Ianna Gilbert, TYWLS of Jamaica student. Bruce explained how he balances the pressure of working at Cushman Wakefield while serving as the co-chair of the board of The Intrepid Museum. Valerie Radwaner, Deputy Chair at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, was interviewed by Javeria Amir, a 12th grade student at TYWLS of East Harlem and inspired the crowd with the following powerful statement: “Do not be afraid to be the only girl in the room. When I enter the room, I sit in the very front row.”
Jemina R. Bernard, Executive Director, Student Leadership Network shares, “At the end of the day, our annual (Em)Power Breakfast is a celebration of the 9,000 students we impact across our 5 NYC based Young Women’s Leadership Schools and 15 national affiliates nationwide. I can’t think of a better way to honor and celebrate their achievements than by having them emcee the event and interview our honorees. They embody all that gives us hope for the future of our city, country and world!”
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CBI Celebration 2018
2018-05-15 17:00 - 18:30 | Jazz at Lincoln Center, New York, New York
Thank you to those who attended and supported our 2018 CollegeBound Initiative (CBI) Celebration on Tuesday, May 15 at Jazz at Lincoln Center. To see event photos, click here.
Special Thanks to Our Amazing Honorees:

Wes Moore, CEO of Robin Hood
Erika Irish Brown, Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Bloomberg
Marjana Chowdhury, CBI alumna and Legal Analyst at BlackRock

2018 CBI Highlights Included:

Student-led onstage Q&A interview with honorees
First-ever CBI alumni honoree
Musical entertainment provided by student DJ and two singers
Cap and gown student procession
Members of the class of 2018 mingling with guests

Help us bring CollegeBound Initiative (CBI) to even more talented students in the communities we serve.

(Em)Power Breakfast 2017
2017-10-10 08:00 - 09:00 | Cipriani 42nd Street, New York, NY, United States
This morning, we celebrated the incredible accomplishments of the students at The Young Women’s Leadership Schools and those of our honorees – Documentary Filmmaker and Tony Award-Winning Broadway Producer Amanda Lipitz; Joanne Podell, Executive Chairman at Cushman & Wakefield; Liz Robbins, Founder of Liz Robbins Associates; and Kenya Barris, Creator and Showrunner of ABC’s black-ish and the “Man We Love.” On the eve of the International Day of the Girl, we are proud that these four distinguished individuals and supporters like you joined us as part of a worldwide movement committed to improving the lives of young women.
Young Women’s Leadership Network has been empowering young women to reach their higher education dreams since our founder Ann Tisch established our first school in East Harlem in 1996. Today, we have graduates on campuses across the country and TYWLS alumnae have degrees from Smith, Brown, Cornell, Columbia, and dozens of other private and public colleges. In fact, TYWLS students not only enroll in college at double the rate of their peers – they graduate at four times the rate.
Now, with five schools in New York City and thirteen affiliate schools across the country, and two more schools slated to open in 2018, with your help we are poised to have an even greater impact on the more than 8,500 students we serve each year.
We hope you will stay with us and our students on the journey to their bright futures. Please consider taking the following actions today:

Invest: Your gift will help students realize their academic and leadership potential.
Volunteer: Share your knowledge and experiences as a volunteer mentor to young women in grades 6-12.
Inspire: Approach your company about supporting SL Network and engage colleagues in our volunteer programs.
Be Social: Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

CBI Celebration 2017
2017-05-18 17:00 - 18:30 | Jazz at Lincoln Center, New York, New York
Last night’s CollegeBound Initiative (CBI) Celebration was unforgettable. Thank you to those who attended and supported, including our amazing honorees Darren Walker, President of the Ford Foundation, and Melissa Brenner, Senior Vice President of Digital Media at the NBA, with special recognition to Paula Dofat, Director of College Counseling at our affiliate school Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women! It was a privilege to introduce the Class of 2017, who are making their dreams of college a reality thanks to your support.

Since CBI’s inception, we have enrolled more than 13,000 students in college, including 2,500 from the Class of 2017, and have generated more than $450 million in financial aid. The majority of our students will be the first in their families to go to college. And even more, an independent evaluation found that CBI students graduate and earn 4-year college degrees at nearly 4x the rate of their peers.
Check out the films that were debuted during the event.
Unable to attend the 2017 CBI Celebration? Don’t worry! You can still be with us in spirit by making a donation. Click here to show your support.

15th Anniversary CBI Celebration
2016-05-26 17:00 - 18:30 | Jazz at Lincoln Center, New York, New York
Watch the video from an unforgettable night celebrating 15 years of the CollegeBound Initiative! See the films honoring NY Mets Curtis Granderson, Calamos Investments CEO John Koudounis, and NBC’s Al Roker, and ABC’s Deborah Roberts!

See also CBI student Josephine’s surprise college acceptance with Usher!
We are grateful to supporters like you who made the 15-year CBI Celebration a great success!
On May 26, 2016, our wonderful guests joined us in celebrating the more than 15,000 New York City students served by the CollegeBound Initiative.
We are grateful to this year’s honorees:
| Curtis Granderson, NY Mets
| John S. Koudounis, CEO, Calamos Investments
| Deborah Roberts and Al Roker, ABC News Correspondent & Host/Weatherman of NBC’s TODAY Show
As we look ahead to the 2017-2018 school year – when CBI Directors of College Counseling will be in 35 schools serving 18,000 young women and men — your ongoing support will continue empowering our students to pursue their dream of going to college!
Make a gift.

(Em)Power Breakfast 2015
2015-10-15 08:00 - 09:00 | Cipriani 42nd Street, New York, NY, United States
Watch and share The Voice Inside, the heartwarming film featuring TYWLS students and teachers.
We are grateful to supporters like you who made the 2015 (Em)Power Breakfast a great success!
On October 15, 2015, more than 700 guests joined us in celebrating the more than 2,200 girls served by The Young Women’s Leadership Schools (TYWLS) in New York City this year.
The 2015 (Em)Power Breakfast honored our students and their achievements. We are grateful to this year’s honorees for representing the confidence and determination we cultivate in every TYWLS girl. Our honorees included:

| Kimberley Hatchett, Executive Director, Morgan Stanley
| Yara Shahidi, Actress (Black-ish), Philanthropist and Scholar
| Sherrie Westin, Executive Vice President of Global Impact and Philanthropy, Sesame Workshop
| Fabrizio Freda “The Man We Love”, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Estée Lauder Companies

As we look ahead to the 2015-2016 school year, your ongoing support will continue empowering our students to fulfill their learning and leadership potential! Here’s how you can make this possible:
Make a gift – Visit our donate page.
Share our story – Watch and share The Voice Inside, the heartwarming film featuring TYWLS students and teachers.
(Em)Power our students – We need energetic and passionate volunteers to serve as role models for TYWLS students.
On behalf of the more than 2,200 students served by The Young Women’s Leadership Schools, thank you for investing in their futures!
Past Honorees:
2014

Idina Menzel, Tony Award-winning Broadway star
Dina Powell, President of the Goldman Sachs Foundation
Anna Quindlen, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist
Andrew Farkas, Island Capital Group

2013

Malala Yousafzai, education advocate
Abigail Disney, filmmaker and philanthropist
Tory Burch, fashion designer and philanthropist
Jordan Roth, Jujamcyn Theaters

2012

Tina Brown, The Daily Beast
Susan Lyne, Gilt Groupe
Kevin Roberts, Saatchi & Saatchi
Ann Shoket, Seventeen Magazine

2011

Stephanie Drescher, Apollo Management LLP
Peter G. Peterson, Blackstone and the Peter G. Peterson Foundation
Judith Rodin, the Rockefeller Foundation

2010

Richard Beattie, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
Jill Beraud, PepsiCo
Harold Ford Jr., Bank of America/Merrill Lynch
Caryn Seidman Becker, Clear

2009

Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York
Phebe Farrow Port, Estee Lauder
Edith Cooper, Goldman Sachs
Barry Weiss, RCA/Jive

2008

Ann Moore, Time Inc.
Kim Davis, JPMorgan Chase
High Water Women
Cory Booker, Mayor of Newark

2006

Thelma Golden, the Studio Museum in Harlem
Nancy Peretsman, Allen & Company
The Starr Foundation
Joel Klein, Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education
