Kelly didn’t think of herself as particularly smart when a teacher told the rising sixth grader that she would be joining the Excellence Project, an after-school program at P.S. 189 in the Bronx for “gifted” students.

But she started attending the daily sessions, where Kelly got to explore topics that interest her, like her family’s roots in the Dominican Republic. The small setting was a haven from other peers who could be disruptive in the classroom during the school day. 

Soon, she started thinking differently about herself. [read more]