Sponsor a Brilla Graduate Through High School

We are gearing up for a major milestone at Brilla: This spring our first eighth grade class will graduate from Brilla! Where our first class of 65 8th graders begin their high school careers next September is of great focus to us and our 8th grade families. 

The high school application process is an infamously complex and difficult process in New York City. Sadly, the local district public schools in the neighborhoods of our Brilla families leave a lot to be desired. Accordingly, our families are determined to pursue other options. Having benefited from an academically strong, character-rich education at Brilla for eight years, many of our students want to attend local Catholic high schools. Indeed, a seat at a Catholic high school represents continuity with the Brilla experience and a direct path to college or job certification opportunities.

Catholic school demands significant sacrifices from our families. Some 95% of our graduating eighth graders qualify for the federal Free or Reduced Price Lunch Program. In order to afford private education, many families will have to take on additional jobs in a challenging economic environment made more difficult by the pandemic. While Catholic schools charge relatively modest tuition and provide generous financial aid, they do not have the resources to meet 100% of the costs of a private education. We would like to fill this gap so that economic hardship does not prevent our top students from realizing their hard-earned dreams of a top-quality high school education. 

Twenty-two of our Brilla 8th graders are applying to NYC-based Catholic schools for a fall 2021 entrance. Our goal is to provide a few of our students with a $5,000 annual 4-year scholarship to fill a large portion of what financial aid does not cover and we’d like to provide a smaller annual scholarship to a larger group of our graduating 8th grade students. Accordingly, we hope to raise $25,000 annually over four years for a grand total of $100,000.  Might you consider supporting a Brilla graduate through high school, enabling a Bronx teenager to continue on their path to college and beyond? 

The leadership team at Brilla College Prep Middle School will select recipients of the scholarship based on academic promise and financial need. All scholarships will be directed to the local Catholic high school which the student attends.

I invite you to learn more about the kind of young men and women you will be supporting by viewing our Portrait of a Graduate. 

A comment by one of our parents perhaps describes Brilla best: “Aqui hay la caridad” (Here there is loving care). Thank you for your partnership which will ensure that our students can continue benefiting from an environment of loving care through high school. 

With gratitude,

Luanne Zurlo

Executive Director, Brilla Schools Network