Humans of New York, the popular website that features photos and quotes of various New Yorkers, posted an image of a young boy on January 19. The child said his principal, Ms. Lopez, most influenced his life because she encourages them to stay in school, saying “that each time somebody fails out of school, a new jail cell gets built. And one time she made every student stand up, one at a time, and she told each one of us that we matter.”
Once Humans of New York posted this heartwarming story, which received over a million likes so far, readers commented praising the principal and her ethics.
This week, on January 22, Humans of New York posted another photo in response: one of Ms. Lopez, the motivational principal of Mott Hall Bridges Academy. She explained that she calls her students scholars and treats them like royalty, so they are expected to be successful despite living in a disadvantaged area.
Brandon Stanton, who runs Humans of New York, met with the staff of the school to try to think of a way to help. They formed a link where people can donate online. To what you may ask? To allow each incoming 6th grade class to see what is out there for them, what is possible for them to achieve in the world by taking a trip to Harvard University. It’s estimated to cost $30,000 to fund the initiative for one year. Yet, in just a few days, Humans of New York has helped this deserving school raise over $500,000. Brandon said this has enabled the Harvard trip to become a permanent annual event for the school and also helped develop summer programs to maintain knowledge over breaks.
This giant recent charity cause highlights the goodness in people and activist cause of Humans of New York, as it found a worthy school led by humanitarian educators. People can still donate at http://bit.ly/1JmIB8u.
Photos courtesy of Humans of New York