Victoria Andre School Midwood High School Favorite Book/Movie/TV show Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid/Titanic/Friends Favorite family/cultural tradition Haiti’s annual carnival Who is your greatest role model? God The best thing about NYC's diversity is… The range… it’s diverse on so many different levels/aspects of society (race, ethnicity, religion, in schools, in the workplace etc)
Elizabeth Avakov School Stuyvesant High School Favorite Book/Movie/TV show Friends Favorite family/cultural tradition Decorating eggs for Easter together Who is your greatest role model? My mom The best thing about NYC's diversity is… The food!
Joseph Cabrera School Urban Assembly Gateway School for Technology Favorite Book/Movie/TV show ESPN Favorite family/cultural tradition Christmas Who is your greatest role model? Lebron James The best thing about NYC's diversity is… the different types of food available.
Vivian Fang School Trinity School Favorite Book/Movie/TV show Inception Favorite family/cultural tradition Chinese New Year Who is your greatest role model? Sheryl Sandberg The best thing about NYC's diversity is… how it allows people to meet others that are different from them and be able to share their cultures for a mutual understanding of each other (and the food).
Beverly Feng School Stuyvesant High School Favorite Book/Movie/TV show Crazy Rich Asians Favorite family/cultural tradition Eating together as a family on Chinese New Year Who is your greatest role model? Mom The best thing about NYC's diversity is… That I get to be surrounded by different cultures.
Gail Hafif School Ramaz Upper School Favorite Book/Movie/TV show The Mousetrap Favorite family/cultural tradition Pesach Seder Who is your greatest role model? My mom The best thing about NYC's diversity is… That everyone can be who they want and you’ll never see two of the same person. It makes everything more interesting, it’s never dull and there’s so much to see and learn
Florence Hariri School Brooklyn Prospect Charter Favorite Book/Movie/TV show Lunar Chronicles Scarlet by Marissa Meyer Favorite family/cultural tradition Going to different places together during vacation Who is your greatest role model? My Mother The best thing about NYC's diversity is… Different people with multiple stories, culture and languages
Maya Hoff School Ramaz Upper School Favorite Book/Movie/TV show My favorite book is The Perks of Being a Wallflower, my favorite movie is Mulan and my favorite TV show is The Office. Favorite family/cultural tradition My favorite cultural and religious tradition is lighting candles to welcome in the Sabbath with my mom and sisters every Friday night. Who is your greatest role model? My mom, Rachel Hoff. The best thing about NYC's diversity is… That a person is able to interact with numerous cultures in just one day, maybe even within one hour, something that I think that we as New Yorkers do not even realize.
Zameer Hoque School Stuyvesant High School Favorite Book/Movie/TV show The Giver Favorite family/cultural tradition Giving out food and water to the homeless every year around Christmas time. Who is your greatest role model? Cristiano Ronaldo The best thing about NYC's diversity is… Being able to experience so many different cultures.
Matthew Jedwab School HAFTR Favorite Book/Movie/TV show Suits Favorite family/cultural tradition Shabbat Who is your greatest role model? My father The best thing about NYC's diversity is… It is a great opportunity to learn about various cultures and ethnicities
Noa Kalfus School SAR High School Favorite Book/Movie/TV show My favorite book is The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, movie is The Incredibles, and TV show is The Office. Favorite family/cultural tradition I personally love my Friday night family dinners, where I have an opportunity to forget about school, and have a chance to relax and connect with my loved ones. Who is your greatest role model? My parents are both my greatest role models. My mother is always honest and loving, while my father is strong and compassionate. Both of them have gotten so far in life and I will always strive to be like them. The best thing about NYC's diversity is… That it allows for so many people from so many different backgrounds to interact and form one massive community.
Christopher Kim School Stuyvesant High School Favorite Book/Movie/TV show Community (TV Show) Favorite family/cultural tradition Celebrating Lunar New Year Who is your greatest role model? My Dad The best thing about NYC's diversity is… The diverse foods from all over the world that people make
Ruby Klawans School Abraham Joshua Heschel High School Favorite Book/Movie/TV show Shall We Dance (Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers)/ The Office Favorite family/cultural tradition Finding homemade ice cream on family adventures. Who is your greatest role model? Stephen Curry
The best thing about NYC's diversity is… Meeting people from different cultures.
Keisha Lacayo School Bronx Health Sciences High School Favorite Book/Movie/TV show The Alchemist Favorite family/cultural tradition Honoring the dead with a feast and/or candle Who is your greatest role model? My mother The best thing about NYC's diversity is… The flavorful food
Tara Mavinakere School Stuyvesant High School Favorite Book/Movie/TV show Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur Favorite family/cultural tradition Holi Who is your greatest role model? Angy Rivera – an undocumented Colombian-American human rights activist The best thing about NYC's diversity is… There is a place for everyone. My mom once told me that when she moved here, it was hard for her to miss India. There are so many different people and communities, it’s impossible to feel left out.
Rosalia Minyety School Frank McCourt High School Favorite Book/Movie/TV show Book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho Favorite family/cultural tradition La Semana Santa (Holy Week) Who is your greatest role model? Even though she is a fictional character from a TV show, I think it might be Raven Reyes. The best thing about NYC's diversity is… To be able to learn from other people’s experiences, lives and ideas and being taught about things that are happening outside our own “niches”. Something really important about NYC’s diversity is that you get to understand that you can’t make a change by yourself; you’ll always need people beside you, and it is good when those people are different from you because they might bring something new to the table and can help find better ways by sharing their opinions that you might have never thought of. Here, you’ll find all that.
Shayaan Mohammed School The Bronx High School of Science Favorite Book/Movie/TV show Monsters University Favorite family/cultural tradition To be together for the holidays Who is one of your greatest role model? My mother The best thing about NYC's diversity is… The vast input of ideas present in our city.
Ethan Oliner School HAFTR Favorite Book/Movie/TV show The Firm Favorite family/cultural tradition Friday night dinner Who is your greatest role model? My parents The best thing about NYC's diversity is… Meeting and interacting with people from different backgrounds
Carolina Padilla School Brooklyn Technical High School Favorite Book/Movie/TV show The Office Favorite family/cultural tradition Family dinners we cook together on Sunday nights Who is your greatest role model? Michelle Obama The best thing about NYC's diversity is… How much we get to learn about other cultures
Osmar Perez School Gramercy Arts High School Favorite Book/Movie/TV show Beggars and Choosers by Nancy Kress Favorite family/cultural tradition Cinco de Mayo Who is your greatest role model? Shereen and Sophia Grant The best thing about NYC's diversity is… the myriad of restaurant options from different cultures!
Viyan Poonamallee School Homeschooled Favorite Book/Movie/TV show MR. ROBOT Favorite family/cultural tradition The Diwali party that we throw every year. Who is your greatest role model? My Grandfather. The best thing about NYC's diversity is… The variety of different cultures give us access to part of communities from all over. Even the simplest luxury of food is found in every type from every country.
Sharon Ren School Stuyvesant High School Favorite Book/Movie/TV show To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (book and movie)/ Jane the Virgin Favorite family/cultural tradition Chinese New Year: Every year, we host a party for our family friends, and enjoy each other’s company. It’s always so much fun and so delicious! Who is your greatest role model? My best friend – She goes through so many hardships, but continues to strive, and is always willing to help me out when I need her. Her perseverance is inspiring. The best thing about NYC's diversity is… The fact that I can meet so many people and communicate/connect with them in different ways.
Ayal Smith School SAR High School Favorite Book/Movie/TV show I LOVE Harry Potter Favorite family/cultural tradition I love having dinner with my family all together once a week Who is your greatest role model? My mother The best thing about NYC's diversity is… The things you can learn and experiences you can get
Joshua Song School Manhasset High School Favorite Book/Movie/TV show Movie – The Accountant Favorite family/cultural tradition Christmas? Who is your greatest role model? Kyrie Irving The best thing about NYC's diversity is… Being introduced to different cultures and lifestyles of all kinds of people
Tina Zheng School Stuyvesant High School Favorite Book/Movie/TV show The Office! Favorite family/cultural tradition Making dumplings together the night before Chinese New Year! Who is your greatest role model? My mom The best thing about NYC's diversity is… that it allows for us to grow up in an environment that would be considered by most as more welcoming than other places. It allows for children to grow up with open-mindedness and greater acceptance towards those who are different.