Student Leadership Network
06/16/2026
🎉 Honoring excellence in teaching at The Young Women's Leadership Schools (TYWLS)!
Student Leadership Network is proud to present the 2025-2026 April Blount Blue Ribbon Awards! The April Blount is an annual recognition given to one outstanding educator from each TYWLS school who exemplifies excellence in teaching and upholds the WholeGirl+ Education Model.
The award celebrates the legacy of the late April Blount, a phenomenal teacher and leader at TYWLS Brooklyn who brought learning to life for her students.
🏅 Congratulations to our 2025-2026 recipients:
- Marina Prakas, Special Education - Math teacher at TYWLS Astoria
- Peder Olson, English Language Arts (ELA), English as a New Langue (ENL) teacher at TYWLS Bronx
- Loran Ubriaco, History, Algebra, and Advisory teacher at TYWLS Brooklyn
- Adele Antalek, Science teacher at TYWLS Manhattan
- Danielle Dowdell, French teacher at TYWLS Queens
- Danielle Fletcher, ELA, Social Studies, and Global teacher at TYWLS Staten Island
Read more about the April Blount Award on our blog: https://www.studentleadershipnetwork.org/april-blount-awards-2026/
April Blount Blue Ribbon Awards 2025-2026 Student Leadership Network is thrilled to honor excellence in teaching across The Young Women's Leadership Schools (TYWLS) with the April Blount Blue Ribbon Awards.
06/16/2026
The future is bright! 🎓✨
Seniors at the Manhattan Business Academy, a CollegeBound Initiative (CBI) partner school, recently celebrated ! They proudly crossed the stage to share their college & postsecondary decisions!
Students at Manhattan Business Academy are off to fantastic colleges and universities, some of which include Baruch College, New York University, City Tech CUNY, SUNY Oneonta, SUNY Oswego, the University of Southern California, Stony Brook University, & St. Francis College Brooklyn (just to name a few!)
Congrats, seniors! Celebrate the with us: https://www.studentleadershipnetwork.org/collegebound-month-2026/
06/10/2026
🎓 Meet Ruby, a senior graduating from The Young Women's Leadership School (TYWLS) of Astoria who has spent her high school years giving voice to stories that matter.
This spring, Ruby earned a spot in Ithaca College's prestigious Park Scholars Program, one of the college's most competitive merit awards.
Come fall, planning to join ICTV, one of the oldest college television channels in the country, and Creative Media, a co-curricular program covering Ithaca's sports teams, all in pursuit of her dream of working in sports broadcasting.
"I am excited to be joining the Park Scholar Program at Ithaca College. I'm most looking forward to the variety of media opportunities that will immediately be available to me." -Ruby
We can’t wait to see all that you accomplish, Ruby! Learn more about Ruby’s story: https://www.studentleadershipnetwork.org/collegebound-month-2026/
This spring, we had the pleasure of welcoming digital creator and author Taylor Cassidy to our annual TYWLS Glows Up event! 🌟
Taylor is known for her engaging content on Black history and fashion across TikTok and Instagram, and for being the author of “Black History is Your History” She joined us for an inspiring social media influencer panel with our 11th-grade students from The Young Women's Leadership Schools (TYWLS) in NYC.
She opened up about the importance of knowing when to rest, prioritizing what truly matters, and navigating negativity as a content creator.
TYWLS Glows Up brings together 11th graders each year for workshops and panels designed to give them the tools and confidence to share their accomplishments with pride!
Thank you, Taylor, for your investment in the next generation of leaders!
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