LIFTT students accepted by Allison OHagan, staff reporter

In this new year, juniors Arianna Pincay and Bianca Rosenburt have been chosen to represent WJPS in the LIFTT program.

Arianna Pincay was really happy about being accepted, because she truly thought that she wasn’t going to get in. “When I found out that I got in, I was really excited and proud of myself.”

During the selection process, Bianca Rosenburt said, “The interview was very sudden because I got interviewed (for the selection process) during a class trip. It was kind of intense because they were only selecting a few students in the city.”

From this program Bianca hopes “…to really get ready for college, gain a experience, and figure out what direction I want to go in college.” Arianna also hopes to get “experience in public speaking, and try new things.”

LIFTT stands for Leadership Institute for Today and Tomorrow. This year long program, hosted by the Intrepid Museum on the west side of Manhattan, is exclusively for students entering their junior year. LIFTT’s goal is to work with students who have yet to recognize their full potential, and to give them the tools and experience necessary to develop the drive to improve their lives and the world around them.

Upon completion of the program Bianca and Arianna will receive:

• A personal statement / college essay for use in the following year’s college applications

• A LIFTT resources and references binder
• College guidebooks
• A Certificate of Completion
• A personal recommendation from the Intrepid Program Manager (for use in their college application) and
• A portfolio visually documenting their LIFTT program (also valuable for use in the college application process)

Previous graduates to the program also received laptops and NOOK e-readers as incentives.

WJPS has been involved with LIFTT since 2010 through Assistant Principal, Ms. Poulos who has acted as a liaison. Ms. Poulos said that LIFTT is, “A collaboration with some really unique and powerful people both in the city and the state that will lead [the LIFTTS students] to a plethora of opportunity.”