Meet our Alumni!

Meet the DC graduates who achieved their dream of a College degree and are on their way to a bright future!"

Our College Graduates

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Damani Ashton

Damani Ashton-MV Class of 2011/Post University class of 2017/ Howard University School of Law class of 2022, where he was a member of their Law Review. Damani recently passed the New York State Bar and has begun his legal career at the international law firm of Kirkland & Ellis in their New York office.

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Devonte Banner

MV Class of 2014/ Norfolk State University class of 2018 where he played basketball and majored in Electrical Engineering. Currently Electrical Engineer 2 at Huntington Ingalls Industries in Newport News, VA.

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Brenda Alves

MV Class of 2017/Manhattanville 2022. Currently enrolled at Pace University in the Physician Assistant program.

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Houston Porter

Woodlands Class of 2014/ 2019 Lehman College. Pace University Law School class of 2025.

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Kirk James

MV Class of 2015, Grambling State University, 2019. Kirk will graduate from Mercy College in December 2022 with his Master's in School Counseling. He works for Mount Vernon City Hall Youth Bureau as the Trauma-Informed Specialist, is the newly appointed Director of the Cheer Program at St. Thomas Aquinas College, and is the Head Coach of the Mt. Vernon High School Junior Varsity Cheerleading team. 

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Awa Nyambi

Woodlands Class of 2015/ Harvard University class of 2019, Howard University Law School class of 2024. Internship this fall with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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Kristen Clay

MV Class of 2017/VA Tech class of 2022, Geoscience major, beginning training this year for the US Army.

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Kaseem Miller

MV Class of 2016/U.Hartford class of 2020/ U.Hartford 2022 Masters in Industrial Psychology. Beginning his career fall 2022 at Pepsico as a Senior Rewards Operation Analyst.

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Thomas Creegan

Woodlands Class of 2016/UPenn Wharton. Currently running an investment fund, Rooted Capital Asset Management.

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Joel Okine

MV Class of 2017/Buffalo State 2021- Quantitative Analyst, M&T Bank, Buffalo NY

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Jade Thompson

MV Class of 2017/Barnard College 2021- Account Executive SnapChat

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Mbaba Sow

Woodlands Class of 2018/Cornell University class of 2022. BS in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Currently Business Operations Associate at ZS, a management consulting and technology firm in the NY office.

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Zarayli George

MV Class of 2018/Binghamton U. 2022- Heading to Tanzania this month to work in a mental health hospital with Medi Trip Volunteers. Will start a job when she returns as a Conversion Coach for Apex while applying to master programs in Psychology.

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Jahee Davenport

MV Class of 2018/SUNY Brockport 2022. Currently Communications Associate for the City of Mount Vernon.

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Kamron Larrow

DC Cooney Scholar, 2018

 

With his degree in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Tech University, Kamron Larrow has joined the team at Boeing Co. as a supplier quality engineer. 

Kamron has been part of our Destination: College family since 10th grade as a member of the Woodlands High School football team.

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Rebecca Wilson

Mount Vernon HS '19 Independence Community College (KS) Manhattan College '24

Rebecca joined Destination: College as a 9th grader on the Mount Vernon HS Girls Basketball team. Our Team Reads and Cooney College Center volunteers/staff looked forward to working with her weekly. 
 
After high school she took the brave step of leaving Mount Vernon, NY for Independence, KS to play for a Junior College program. Her success on the court led her closer to home at Manhattan College, playing for the Jaspers. 
 
Majoring in Health Science, Rebecca was recently inducted into Chi Alpha Sigma: National College Athletic Honor Society.
 
Chi Alpha Sigma recognizes undergraduate college student-athletes who participate in a sport at the varsity intercollegiate level, achieve junior academic standing or higher after their fifth full time semester, and earn a 3.4 or higher cumulative grade point average.
 

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Jamil Gambari

DesignationWoodlands HS '15 Kent School - PG '16 Hampton University '20 UPenn - Wharton '25

Jamil came onto our radar during his junior year at Woodlands HS. A gifted student and standout athlete on the basketball court, Jamil worked closely with our board member and Woodlands HS College Advisor, Tracy McVey, to make a plan. Jamil's path would take him to Hampton University where he graduated Summa Cum Laude with a 4.0.
 
This fall he will start his MBA at the Wharton School of Business.
 
His vision and drive has been truly inspirational for many Destination: College students who follow his example.

Our Current College Students

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Teneisia Brown

MV Class of 2019/Merrimack College 2024 where she is starting forward on the Women's Basketball team.

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Troy Hupstead

University of Maryland Eastern Shore Class of 2026, majoring in Digital Media, forward on Men's Basketball team.

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Rachel Mojica

Manhattan College Class of 2023-Biology Major, currently studying for MCATS.

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Alexia Bernard

Berkeley College Class of 2023. Criminal Justice major planning to apply to FBI. Currently interning at Westchester County Court.

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Chenelle Gordon

SUNY Albany Class of 2024. Currently working toward a combined BA in Psychology and MS in Mental Health Counseling.

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Omiliya Lawrence

Delaware State University Class of 2024, School of Nursing

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Laila Issa

Sophie Davis Biomedical Education Program/CUNY School of Medicine, a 7-year BS/MD program.

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Shervonne Hinds and Heily Gonzalez

Cornell University Class of 2026

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Amanda Ramos

SUNY Purchase Class of 2026, member of Women's Soccer Team, part time position as Destination: College Office Assistant!

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Paige Loague

Hampton University Class of 2025, member of Pirate's Cheerleading Team

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Nigel Harris

Iona College Class of 2024 Accounting major. Summer of 2022 Nigel was DC Director of our Summer Program.

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Ygor Pereira

University of Southern California Class of 2023. Currently studying abroad in Barcelona, after graduation he will begin a position at the consulting firm Bain & Company in their LA office.

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Paula Aidoo

DC Cooney Scholar 2020, Lehman College 2024

Paula Aidoo has been selected as one of twofellows in the prestigious Lehman College - Wall Street Journal's "Journo-Tech Program".

A Mount Vernon HS '20 graduate, she is majoring in Computer Science with a minor in Business and Graphic Design. Paula will spend 10 weeks embedded in the WSJ newsroom on the Digital Experiences and R&D teams, focusing on the development of new AI-powered tools and news experiences.

Our Student Interns

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Kaseem Miller

From my experience at PepsiCo I've gained insights on the true interworking of corporate business infrastructures...it made me know what it takes to develop into the consummate professional.

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Alexia Bernard

I learned about jury selection in my criminal justice class, but it wasn't nearly as detailed as seeing it in action. This internship allowed me to observe the real process and the time and effort it requires.

Need an Intern?

DC Internship Inquiry

Next Destination: Graduation

We are proud to support our Destination: College graduates THROUGH COLLEGE all the way to graduation with virtual and in-person skill development training on personal, academic and career development, along with 1-on-1 coaching, mentoring, and peer-to-peer networking. 

141  Destination College alums enrolled in 71 colleges and universities in Fall of 2022

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DC Class of 2021 enrolled in a 2 yr or 4 yr college in Fall of 2021.

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DC Class of 2020 persisted into 2nd year of college in Fall 2021**

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DC Class of 2019 persisted into 3rd year of college in Fall 2021

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DC Class of 2018 persisted into 4th year of college in Fall 2021

**Compared to the overall national retention rate into 2nd year of 75%, and 65.5% of Black students and 69.2% for Latinx students, according to the 2022 National Student Clearinghouse Research Center Report. 

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Share your DC story!

We love hearing from our alumni!  Tell us what you have been up to.  Send us a photo.  Keep your connections to the Team.  

Share Your Story

DC Alums follow us here! Destination:College now supports our alums through college all the way to graduation and beyond! Private IG to send out info, reminders, and share!