Kayla Isaacs’ older sister just started college, but she doesn’t have much advice for Kayla on navigating New York high schools for the eighth grader.
Isaacs’ sister went to a school that housed grades six through 12 grades and didn’t have to worry about what came after eighth grade.
So Isaacs, 13, attended the Bronx high school fair with her father to learn more about the application process. With the help of her guidance counselor at M.S. 180, the Dr. Dale Hale Williams Middle School for the Visual and Performing Arts, Isaacs has narrowed the list to two schools with a liberal arts focus. She ranked Pelham Preparatory Academy in the Bronx on top, followed by Beacon High School in Manhattan.
After speaking with student representatives from Pelham Prep at the high school fair, Isaacs said she is working on raising her grades and keeping the good ones high. Eventually, she wants to work for a behavioral analysis unit within the FBI, which investigates terrorism, cyber crimes and violent crimes. Television shows might have sparked those interests, but she quickly pointed out her own online research that sustained her interest.
“I started reading on the actual thing what they do,” she said.
María Villaseñor is a student at CUNY Graduate School of Journalism.