The following blog post was written by Renee Sarno, Community Events Coordinator.

What do you want to be when you grow up? That’s the question everyone asks you from the time you’re born until you graduate. Starting in 2nd grade, I thought I wanted to be a teacher, but once I got older, I started to consider other options. There are so many jobs out there, and as a student, I didn’t even know what some of them were!

The students at I.S. 61 are starting to think what they want to be when they grow up, beginning in 6th grade. I was recently asked to speak at the school’s Career Day as a young professional and alumna. Walking through the doors, ready to speak to the students, it brought me back to my 7th grade year. One of my teachers, Mr. Kantrowitz, asked my parents at my parent-teacher conference where I was thinking of going to college. My parents just looked at him, confused, because I was only in 7th grade. He told them that I should already start thinking about it. When it came time to apply to college several years later, my parents and I thought back on how he was right.

About 40 career professionals spoke to the 6th, 7th and 8th grade classes individually. The goal of Career Day was to get the children thinking beyond school and have them learn about different occupations they may never have even heard of. I spoke alongside firefighters, engineers, bakers, exercise professionals, bankers and a flight attendant. I spoke to five 8th grade classes and two 6th grade classes.

After introducing myself, and noting that I too attended I.S. 61, I was bombarded with questions from the students. They wanted to know everything from what education path I took to what I do for the Borough President. I brought up different programs our office has worked on, including Pave Baby Pave and Too Good for Drugs, and many of the students were familiar with these initiatives.  
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Then to my surprise, they started asking me about other projects happening on the Island. They wanted to know more about the NY Wheel, Empire Outlets, the mall expansion and even the Fast Ferry! Not only were these students learning about the Borough President’s office, they were fascinated about what is going on in their community.

It was a great experience for both the students and me. The students were engaged, and I believe that they are on the right track in their preparations for high school and beyond. This was a great way for the students to learn about different industries and occupations. I look forward to speaking to the kids again next year.

​Renee receiving her Readers Are Leaders Winners Certificate from then-Councilman Vito Fosella in 1999. They recreated the photo at this year’s kickoff ceremony!
 
The following blog post was written by Renee Sarno, Community Events Coordinator.
 
“To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable spelled out sparkles,” – Victor Hugo, Les Miserables
 
In 1999, I was in 4th grade at P.S. 45. My school was one of 78 schools that participated in the Readers Are Leaders challenge, which was in its third year and run by then-Councilman Vito Fossella. I remember being told there would be one winner for the whole 4th grade, which was about 6 classes. I read every possible book I could. At the time, Harry Potter had just been released, and I read and reread Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets three times that year. I usually read at least two books at a time, and my mom would always ask how I was able to keep them straight in my head. Another popular book that had just been released that year was Holes by Louis Sachar, and it was one of my favorites.
 
Thanks to my voracious reading habits, I wound up winning the Readers Are Leaders challenge for P.S. 45. Out of all the 4th graders and all of the books reports, I was chosen, and I was so happy! The ceremony for the winners was held at the Petrides School that year. I got to meet winners from schools around the Island as I proudly represented my school.
 
Fast forward to 2016: I had just started working as an events coordinator for Borough President Oddo, who now ran the program. The kickoff ceremony, which had been planned prior to my start at Borough Hall, was being held at P.S. 45, exactly where I won the challenge 17 years earlier. As we walked the halls of the school, it felt as if I had never left. I had an amazing experience in elementary school, and being back there felt like coming home again. We walked past my 4th grade classroom, and Principal Chavez couldn’t believe I remembered what room it was. I was still so proud to represent my school almost 20 years later.
  
Talk about life coming full circle. I am honored to work on Readers Are Leaders, a program that had such an impact on my life. I hope that the children participating this year, the 21st year of the program, learn the joy and value of reading the way that I did.