The Brooklyn Emerging Leaders Academy (BELA), an all-girls school in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, has made history by sending their first-ever graduating class to college with a 100% acceptance rate.
According to Patch, BELA’s senior class is reportedly 75% made up of first-generation college students, and 90% of them are Black.
BELA was established in 2017 as an all-girls school, with its mission being to help overcome the inequality in education which has affected Black and brown minority youth for years, by empowering ‘“each young woman to be the best version of herself.”
The school received nearly a million dollars in merit-based scholarships and decided to celebrate the graduation class by throwing them a “college shower.”
They were also given parting gifts’ or ‘Swag bags’ full of college gear, duffle bags, dorm supplies, and wireless headphones.
At the event, BELA’s co-founder, Nicia Fullwood, gave a special message to the class.
She said, “Today, you are rewriting history and contributing to the legacy of District 16 and Bedford-Stuyvesant. We’ve always said that you all were destined for greatness, that you’d change the world in ways we could never imagine. Despite your non-traditional senior year, Today, we celebrate all of you.”
A class valedictorian and top of her class for three years running, Nyasia Bailey, said her ability to be meticulous with her studies was challenged because of the pandemic.
“Covid really taught me that I can’t do everything,” she said.” Sometimes I need to allow myself to take a break, but I always got back on the saddle.”
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Bailey plans on attending Sarah Lawrence College in the fall to pursue a major in creative writing and journalism.
She hopes to go against the status quo in her career and shed light on topics she believes don’t do Black women enough justice.
“As a Black woman, it just feels like we’re really overlooked,” said Bailey. “Through writing and film, I want to be able to tell our stories and share what we’re going through because some people just don’t want to hear it from us.”
