We know what you’re thinking, is it even possible to love “Humans of New York” more than I already do? The answer is yes. Brandon, the photographer and creator of Humans of New York, recently photographed a young man whose remarks sparked a campaign no one could have foreseen.
When Brandon asked, “Who has influenced you the most in your life?,” Vidal responded with “Ms. Lopez,” his principal’s name. He then went on to say, “When we get in trouble, she doesn’t suspend us. She calls us to her office and explains to us how society was built down around us. And she tells us 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.”
Brandon, clearly intrigued by this principal and her commitment to her students, decided to meet Ms. Lopez. Ms. Lopez is the principal at Mott Hall Bridges Academy, a public middle school in Brooklyn, NY. Ms. Lopez holds high standards for her “scholars,” as she calls them. She wants her students to know that they cannot do the minimal work necessary just because they come from housing projects. Ms. Lopez’s colleague, Ms. Mauriciere de Govia stated, “When she (Ms. Lopez) says that every kid can learn, she means it. And not only does she mean it, she puts systems in place to make it happen. It all begins with high expectations. When students arrive at this school, many of them are very behind. But Nadia sets high expectations on every one. She never says: ‘This student lives in the shelter so he deserves a break.” Or ‘Because of his parents, this student can’t be expected to keep up.’ She says: ‘This is how we do things here, and there is no sidestepping.’”
HONY fans everywhere felt inspired by this story. Brandon continued to photograph Vidal and Ms. Lopez, along with the student government president and fellow teachers. Most teachers spoke of the difficulty to inspire the scholars to want to learn. One teacher stated, “Sometimes it feels so hopeless you want to give up. But I was up at 2 AM the other night, reading all the comments people were writing on the posts about Ms. Lopez, and I just kept scrolling and scrolling and scrolling, and it reminded me that I have a purpose and I need to keep going.” That’s when Brandon began a fundraiser for the scholars of Mott Hall Bridges Academy. The money will provide the funds necessary to send each incoming sixth grader on a field trip to Harvard University, so they will “know they can go anywhere” according to Ms. Lopez. There was an outpouring of support. According to the HONY website, within the first day of the fundraiser, enough money was raised to ensure this field trip could be an indefinite program at Mott Hall Bridges Academy. The Goal was to raise 100,000 dollars. As of today, because of the donations of those inspired by this story, Humans of New York has helped raise over one million dollars for the Academy. All donations past $700,000 will be used to establish a scholarship program, The Vidal Fund, for the graduates of Mott Hall.
The fundraiser will continue until the fifth of February. You can send in a donation by following this link: https://life.indiegogo.com/fundraisers/let-s-send-kids-to-harvard
We here at HerCampus want to encourage you to consider sending a donation, not only to this school, but to others in need as well. It is so hard to remember that education isn’t always an easy option for people. For many, education isn’t an option at all. A good education is the true key to success. While these students might face intense struggles each day simply because of where they live, donations like these reassure them to keep going and keep learning. By going to class and giving it their all, they don’t have to be confined by the gates of the projects. And just maybe, they can go to Harvard.