BoysBoys TTownown by Arturo Reyes SUCCESS FALL 2014 MyMy fatherfather leftleft usus whenwhen I waswas ffiveive yearsyears oold.ld. MMyy mmotherother hhadad tthehe When that happened I saw how disappointed my family was and the responsibilityresponrespon iibilitybility ofof raisingraising threethree daughters,daughters, andand mme,e, tthehe yyoungestyoungestoungest aandnd people at San Miguel. I believed it was the end of the road for me. But Alumni Update the only boy. Kids without fathers it wasn't. One day Mrs. Steers, Fr. really struggle. I watched as my Mark and I got on a plane to visit three older sisters all dropped out of Boys Town in Nebraska. After high school. All of them got our visit Boys Town decided to pregnant before they reached the give me a chance. I packed my PERSEVERENCEPERSEVERENCE age of 18. I began to see how bags and my family drove me BoardBoard ofof TrusteesTrustees by Henry Garcia devastating it can be when your 1,200 miles and halfway across & FoundersFounders CouncilCouncil finished with an “A” in the class. As I talked mother is working all the time and the country. This was my chance with my upperclassmen friends, they there is no father around. I felt like to prove myself. I didn't have to Thomas M. Crispi* recommended me to join the AP United States I had to be the man of the house be a hood rat anymore is what I Chairman of the Board History class junior year. At first I liked the and that somehow I had to protect realized. This was my chance to Rev. Mark Connell* idea, but my self-doubt began to haunt me. my family. It was a lot of pressure start over. I wanted everyone to President Questions like, “Was I smart enough to take the for a little kid just ten years old. I be proud of me. That became my Arturo dons a fake pair of nerd glasses to celebrate his soaring grades Sr. Agnes Boyle, O.P. class? What if I fail out of the class?” started to knew I was my mother's last hope. goal. Robert Brennan bolt through my head. When I started to fill out I knew that education needed to fit I settled into my new home at Thomas A. Cunningham* my course selection sheet for my junior year, I into my life, but I didn't know Boys Town and I began to follow Patrick Dennis * hesitated to put down a class under history. I where to start. I was never really rules. That was hard for me Patrick Donnelly thought about it real hard. Half of me was that successful at school because I was always worrying about my because I always like to do things my way. l noticed i didn't worry so Gregory C. Draddy* leaning towards just staying in a regular family and things ' going on in the street. People in school used to tell much and that my family would be okay without me. I got to call my Barbara Eager* Joan Corso Ferroni junior history class, while the other half me that i was dumb, stupid, dirty, or too much of a "hood rat" and they mom every week and I got to fly home three times a year. I started to Michael Giobbe encouraged me to join the AP course. I decided all gave up on me. look at the big picture and to realize I could be a veterinarian which is Donato R. Giuseppi, III* to join the AP United States History class. Then my mom made the best choice of my life, she put me in San my dream job. Br. Lawrence Goyette, FSC* When I was accepted into the class, I was Miguel Academy. When I was just about to give up I met Fr. Mark. He Today my education is my biggest focus. I have a 3.5 G.P.A. and I am Dennis Grant* hoping that the class would turn out to be a told me that he would help me fight against the street and that I could beginning to think about college. I don't want to get cheated out of life Paul Guillaro relatively easy class, but that hope was be somebody one day. It took me a longtime before I believed him. San and I want to be a good example for all of my sisters‘ children. That's Katharyn Hiebert* Henry Garcia amongst his Canterbury Saints football teammates. shattered when the Summer Homework Miguel was hard for me. I wasn't used to working in school and my what motivates me now. I also see that I can help other kids who are Patricia Burns Inglis* Packet for the class arrived in the mail in grades didn't really matter to me. I made it to graduation only because struggling with life. Now I get a good feeling when I can give good Michael Judge The act of giving up because something is too hard to August. In a month we were expected to read 5 so many of my teachers helped me to get there. I was placed into a advice to a younger boy at Boys Town who's not sure if he wants to be Gregory Kiernan* Patricia Kitson accomplish is one of the worst ways to deal with life. As chapters, write a page and a half essay on what we program after San Miguel but I didn't do so well. I went back to my old there. I tell him to think of all the positives and to look at the big Brendan McCarthy* a freshman at Canterbury School, I wasn’t a talkative read, and memorize all of the content for the AP ways and I began to make bad choices. Finally, I got kicked out. picture. If I can defy the odds, anyone can! Megan McCarthy guy, nor was I too confident. This self-doubt led to many United States History test in May. I thought to myself, Kevin Meenan missed opportunities, mainly in academics. I simply “This must be some type of joke from the teacher.” Maureen Mirabile* didn’t like asking for help. It made me feel weak. Without hesitation, I worked on the Summer Packet. Please Save the Date for the Kevin Mirabile Robert Murphy I was repeatedly encouraged by my family and I didn’t know how the teacher wanted me to format Tenth Annual Colin O'Gara friends to be more open about what was going on the essays, nor did I know what I needed to focus on Juan Paneto* around me. I didn’t pay attention to that advice since I while writing it. My reading comprehension skill DEFYING THE ODDS Michael Sileck believed I was doing perfectly fine. In other words, I was one of my weaknesses, so it made it much harder Joseph R. Sperduto, Jr. became comfortable with my quietness, and not asking for me to write about what I read. It wasn’t long Dinner and Fundraiser to celebrate the success of San Miguel Academy Lauren Steers* for help. By the end of sophomore year, I started to before I felt like giving up, but something told me to Joanne Welty* realize that I had more potential in every aspect of life, keep going. I just wanted to see how far I can make Thursday October 23, 2014 Mary Whalen but that my inability to ask for help was getting in the it. Luckily I finished the Summer Packet before the Catherine Joyce Wooters** 6:30 pm at Westchester Country Club in Rye, NY way of my success. first day of class. Without even introducing the class, DEFYING (contact Cathy Joyce Wooters : [email protected]) * Member, Board of Trustees Besides, my academics were improving, especially Mr. Diamond started going over his PowerPoint THE ODDS **Director of Development during sophomore year, particularly in history. I had continued on following page 2014 ALUMNI UPDATE OnlineOnline GivingGiving at www.newburghsanmiguel.org OnlineOnline GivingGiving at www.newburghsanmiguel.org 2014 ALUMNI UPDATE PerseverencePerseverence continuedcontinued presentationpresentation onon thethe ColonizationColonization ofof NorthNorth America.America. I leftleft thatthat than helping it, but I knew I needed some advice from someone else. classroomclassroom withwith atat leastleast 1100 ppagesages wworthorth ooff nnotes.otes. I told Mr. Diamond I would think about it. That night, I called Fr. MyMy hopehope thatthat thisthis classclass waswas goinggoing toto bebe easyeasy nono longerlonger eexisted.xisted. MMyy Mark. I explained what was going on in the class and that I wanted self-doubtself-doubt andand thethe feelingfeeling ooff ggivingiving uupp tooktook thethe placeplace ofof hhope.ope. BBeingeing to leave that class. Fr. Mark simply replied, “When has a San Miguel thethe onlyonly HHispanicispanic inin thethe class,class, I ffeltelt llefteft oout.ut. IItt wwasas aass iiff I wwasn’tasn’t Man ever quit?” From then on, everything changed. No longer was I supposedsupposed ttoo bebe there.there. AAllll ooff tthehe kkidsids iinn tthehe cclasslass wwereere aatt lleasteast tthehe ttopop held back by my self-doubt, nor was “giving up” part of my 10%10% ofooff mymmyy class,c lclass,ass, wwith iwithth anan an aaveragev eaveragerage GGPAP AGPA ooff 33.8. .of8. I3.8. ssatat iinIn sat tthehe incclass,la thess, kknowclass,now- vocabulary. My essay grades soon turned from a 6/9 to perfect 9/9. knowinginging thatthat I thatprobablyprob aI bprobablyly wasn’twasn’ t wasn’teveneven cclose loevense ttoo closettheirheir toiintelligence.n ttheirellige intelligence.nce. BByy tthehe nnext eByxt My test scores never went below an 85%. By the Fourth Marking theday,day , nextmymy day,teacherteach myer hadhteacherad givengive nhad everyoneev egivenryone everyonebbackack ttheirhe ibackr ggradedra dtheired ssummer ugradedmmer Period, I received an A+ in the class, and also, my GPA that summerpackets.packets.