Our Alumni The most powerful way to tell the story of St. Aloysius School and it's impact on children in Harlem is through the stories of our alumni. Nancy's story below, told in her own words, is a testament to the power of the holistic, child-focused education that St. Aloysius offers. I was six years old when I came to the United States. I did not even recognize my own mother. She had come here in 1993 in search of a better life because our country, Cote d'Ivoire, was unstable. We lived here in our own world, cramped inside a small apartment in the projects. My mother valued education more than her own life, and she made sure I was continuously studying, reading, and practicing my writing. I was forbidden to go out and play, because it was too dangerous. Then something happened that completely changed my life. My mother found St. Aloysius School. She was determined to get me a scholarship to go there, and I started sixth grade in the Sister Thea Bowman Program, surrounded by girls like me who were focused on doing well in school. I had always dreamed of getting out of my tough neighborhood and going to college, but I didn't have a plan. My teachers at St. Aloysius helped me make a plan, one that would work. But some of the most important lessons I learned at St. Aloysius were not academic. I learned to make friends and enjoy life in what could be one of the greatest cities in the world. I saw Broadway plays, visited museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum. At the Tenement Museum, I learned about immigrants just like me who came to Ellis Island. I discovered the beauty of Central Park. During the summers, I escaped the heat of the city to attend Leadership Camp up in Williamstown, Massachusetts and Lake Placid, New York. St. Aloysius also helped me with scholarship aid at Notre Dame High School, where I was able to walk with confidence, because I was well prepared. And, like my fellow Bowman sisters, I returned to St. Aloysius to volunteer in the after-school programs and as a counselor at summer Leadership Camp. Nancy gained admission to Boston College, Fairfield University, Northeastern University, Scranton University, Smith College and the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. She chose to go to Boston College and entered on a full scholarship.