Summit opens IKEA-renovated College Center to community, by Red Hook Star-Revue Staff

Summit Academy unveiled its newly renovated College and Career Readiness Center Thursday, November 10. The renovations were designed and paid for by IKEA Brooklyn, and the grand opening was marked by an official ribbon cutting and speeches from both staff and students.

“I literally burst into tears when I saw this beautiful space,” said Summit’s Principal, Cheryl Swift. “We’re so excited that the hard work that our scholars are doing and that our staff is doing, is actually in a beautiful place. IKEA has done such a fabulous job putting it together.”

The College and Career Readiness Center will be a resource for Summit’s students as well as others in the community hoping to get a secondary education. Counselors and space will both be available to those working on applications, essays, financial aid.

“The reality is, children in Red Hook and the local communities deserve an opportunity to go to college,” says Natasha Campbell, Summit’s founder and executive director. “Everyone in this building, we are working to make sure that college is not just a dream or a model, a mission statement or a banner – we are working to make sure that it is your reality.”

93 percent of Summit’s graduates were accepted to and are attending college, according to Swift – and she’s hoping for a 100 percent matriculation rate from the class of 2017.

“We want you all to be a beacon of hope in this community,” says Campbell. “We want you all to be the example, so that those who don’t choose college straight out of high school know that it’s still an option.”

The College and Career Readiness Center will be open to the entire community on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 pm to 5 pm, as well as certain Saturdays which will be posted on Red Hook HUB. Visitors will have full access to Summit’s staff, computer work stations, and library.

“IKEA paid for everything, they came in and they designed everything, so we’re so excited to share that,” says Campbell.  “We want to move the entire community towards college graduation.”