Students of NYC

Students of NYC The future of our city is in our schools.

Dreams dont have to be loud to be powerful. Sometimes, the support we give is what helps our students turn those quiet d...
09/23/2026

Dreams dont have to be loud to be powerful. Sometimes, the support we give is what helps our students turn those quiet dreams into reality.

Somewhere in this city, a student is quietly becoming who they’re meant to be — on the train, in a classroom, after practice, between shifts, or at a desk long after everyone else has gone home. No announcement. No spotlight. Just growth happening in real time.

Millions of stories. One city. And we’re here to find the ones worth knowing. This is Students of NYC!! Click the link in our bio today to explore our featured students.

09/17/2026

The next story worth telling is sitting in a NYC classroom. 👀

Know a student who deserves the spotlight? We want to meet them!

Nominations are OPEN! ✨

08/11/2026

When we show the world who our kids really are, people take notice. Past features of New York City public school students have led to real opportunities — one student-athlete even received a call from a professional sports team! 🙌🏽🙌🏽

That’s why Students of NYC continues to shine a light on the amazing young people in our city and give them a platform to be seen, celebrated, and recognized.

Do you know a middle or high school student we should feature next? Click the link in our bio and fill out the submission form.

“Language is identity. It’s mother tongue. It’s who you are. I think that’s why I can’t let go of writing. Even though I...
03/13/2026

“Language is identity. It’s mother tongue. It’s who you are. I think that’s why I can’t let go of writing. Even though I was born here, I grew up speaking Bangla at home. I actually failed the gifted and talented test in pre-K because I didn’t really know English yet. My parents were like, okay — we have to start speaking to her in English more. And instead of speaking it first, I picked up reading. That’s where my relationship with language really started. Reading turned into writing. And once I picked up a pencil, I couldn’t stop. I would write about my day. I would write stories. I had little notebooks all through elementary and middle school filled with fiction — fantasy, historical fiction, romance. During COVID, I switched to Google Docs and just kept going. I haven’t shared much publicly, but writing has always felt like the most honest part of me. creative writing feels like a quieter kind of magic. It’s imagination. It’s escape. It’s politics and truth hidden inside fantasy worlds. Last summer, I was selected to read my poem at the New York City Poetry Festival on Governor’s Island. It was July 12. It was hot. There were microphones and poets everywhere. My poem was called “Reflection Between the Air.” It compared a girl like me — safe, waking up under a roof — to a girl across the world whose life is defined by war. The only difference between them is luck. Geography..” want to read more check out this story link’s in bio.


“I’m a senior editor for The Verdict at Benjamin Cardozo High School. I cover the beats for World News and Arts and Ente...
03/07/2026

“I’m a senior editor for The Verdict at Benjamin Cardozo High School. I cover the beats for World News and Arts and Entertainment. It’s all lingo I’ve picked up from my teacher, Ms. Gutterman. I first joined junior year as a reporter. We have pitch meetings in class. It’s one period a day. We get press passes and wear them so we can walk around and do our interviews. Sometimes I use my free periods. I’ve always liked writing, but journalism made it feel bigger. More important. I was always shy. Writing was how I’d put on paper what I was feeling instead of having to verbally communicate. When I get to write things down, I can think and make sure my message is clear.
Last year, I was writing an article about the presidential election. I was trying to get perspectives from everyone. I’ve had to learn how to ask and create questions that are not divisive. Careful with the language I used and the questions I ask. It helps to protect the source. It also helps to protect the conversation. I don’t want to tell people how to feel. I’m not that kind of writer. I want to spread accurate, honest information so people can take that information and create their own beliefs. I’ve always been really curious and liked listening to people. You can learn so much about someone by how they talk. What words they choose. What’s happening in their life. That wasn’t always easy for me. I remember once I was interviewing another student about Trump, and I couldn’t understand her perspective at first. But everyone has their own reasons. Trying to understand why they feel that way matters. But empathy is important. It’s always important to listen to another point of view and find out why they have that point of view. You have to stay hopeful and be open to collaboration. What a lot of people don’t really have right now is respect for one another. They don’t realize, we don’t owe each other anything. We just need to listen.”

“When I was in fifth grade, I thought I could sing. I tried out for Hamilton and actually got in. For three weeks straig...
02/01/2026

“When I was in fifth grade, I thought I could sing. I tried out for Hamilton and actually got in. For three weeks straight, I played those songs on repeat — even the parodies — like they were the only thing holding me together.

I’ve always carried so much. My passion used to feel like the worst part of me, but people like Ms. T helped me see that the fire inside me isn’t a burden — it’s a battery pack. It’s what keeps me going, connecting, loving, and showing up.”

A voice, a fire, and a story shaped by passion. This is Lanyeza’s story. To read more find link in bio!

“People usually tell me their first impression of me was that I looked mean. Or aggressive.And I’m always shocked when t...
01/18/2026

“People usually tell me their first impression of me was that I looked mean. Or aggressive.
And I’m always shocked when they say that. Because I’m not that type of person at all.
When you actually get to know me, you see that I’m very kind. I’m very caring.
I would describe myself as selfless. I grew up in the Bronx in an African Muslim household. My mom is from Guinea, a West African country. I was born here, but my culture has always been a big part of my life.

When I was fifteen, my sister randomly bought me a henna kit. It sat on my desk for a long time. I didn’t touch it. I didn’t know where to start. One day I was bored. I started practicing — circles, curves, lines — on myself. I called my sister and asked her if it looked good or if I was just being delusional. She told me I was actually good. That’s when I started taking it seriously. I watched YouTube videos. I practiced more. I started doing henna for friends at school — at lunch, just for fun. At first, I didn’t charge anyone. But people kept telling me I was talented. So, I started charging my peers at school. Then, I thought, I can do this for people in my community, just like amazing artists that used to inspire me. I made flyers on Canva. I made an Instagram, a TikTok, even a website. I called it Henna by Fanta.”
Read the rest of Fanta’s story now -link’s in bio!





“Henna taught me about my value. About my identity. That sometimes, you just have to get out of your comfort zone. You c...
01/16/2026

“Henna taught me about my value. About my identity. That sometimes, you just have to get out of your comfort zone.
You can find your value in places you never thought to look — in your culture, in your art, in what you love.”

Stay tuned for the rest of Fanta’s story or check it out now link’s in bio.

12/31/2025

Whether they’re forward‑thinking, deep in self‑discovery,
Leveling up through education, or leading with advocacy,
Our NYC scholars shine with a brilliance that is —creative, bold, and true—
Dynamic minds in every borough, always inspiring and new.
So stay tuned, NYC… because 2026 has much more coming through!

“To just ask the youth in our school, ‘Hey, start building relationships with police. …’ That’s too hard. We knew we nee...
12/21/2025

“To just ask the youth in our school, ‘Hey, start building relationships with police. …’ That’s too hard. We knew we needed to think of how we can connect people in a fun, engaging way that would get past preconceived biases. So we thought — let’s do a field day. Everybody loves games. We came up with the Bridging the Gap event and held our first one in March. We invited the local precinct, and we advertised and worked hard to get members of our school community to come. A lot of kids were reluctant — like, field day with cops? We knew getting them to come was just half the battle. We would need a way to get people to have fun and participate once they were there. We came up with a punch card system. Each time you played a game, you got a stamp, and if you got three stamps, you got a T-shirt or another prize. Six stamps, you got a gift card. We spent so much time planning that first event, and we were nervous. Would people come? What if we don’t have a good turnout? But it worked out better than we could have imagined. The games were fun. And to see all those officers show up, and the youth, then to hear from friends after the fact saying, ‘this was actually fun.’ It was like seeing the predetermined biases being squashed. When a cop and a student are trying to play head, shoulders, knees, and toes, there’s no difference between them in the moment. That was community. I hope even after I graduate, Bridging the Gap will be a thing.” - -
Yelani keep shining you are making a positive impact!

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