We are proud to empower and support nearly 1,600 New York City students this year so they can achieve college and career success. The students we serve come from a variety of backgrounds and have many different career interests, yet they all share one goal: to get into college, graduate from college, and go far in life.
We invite you to meet some of our incredible students by reading their stories of success.
Clara Barton High School - St. Joseph's College
Like many Bottom Line students, Jannatul Rahman is from a family of immigrant origin and is the first in her family to go to college. She left Bangladesh for the U.S. as a 13 year old teenager, yet just a few years later had to start navigating the overwhelming and complicated college application process. Jannatul stated, “I wanted to go to college, but had no idea how to go about it. When I was in the 12th grade, my guidance counselor handed me a flyer about Bottom Line. Bottom Line helped me sign up for a college prep course, talked to me about my college options, and helped me apply for scholarships.” By providing one-on-one support throughout the entire college application process, Bottom Line helped Jannatul attend a college that was a good, affordable match—the first step in making sure that she would graduate from college.
Our support did not end there. Once students are in college, Bottom Line advises and mentors students for up to 6 years to ensure that they have the support they need to earn a degree. “I didn’t know how to study when I entered college and I had no time management skills.” Through monthly, in-person meetings with her Bottom Line advisor, Jannatul successfully adapted to the rigors of college. Jannatul is now in her senior year of college and has a GPA of 3.3. “Because of Bottom Line, there have been checkpoints along the way making sure that I was doing what I was supposed to be doing. I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for Bottom Line.”
International HS at Lafayette - SUNY Potsdam
Orlando Geigel is among the first class of Bottom Line’s New York program to graduate from college, but his path to success was not always so promising. After attending high school in the Bronx, Orlando started college at a two-year program where he struggled academically. A friend told him about Bottom Line and he recognized that he needed help if he were to make it to graduation. Bottom Line helped him to transfer to Lehman College and later to SUNY Potsdam for a full college experience. Orlando graduated with a degree in Psychology and currently works for City Year as a fifth grade teacher back in the Bronx at P.S. 75. “I still remember my first semester of college. I ended up with a 1.6 GPA. I thought I was going to drop out and work at Starbucks. But I didn’t. During that spring semester, I was at Bottom Line almost every single day getting back on track. They became like a family to me. And this past spring, I walked across the stage with a degree in my hand and a smile on my face.”