January 19, 2021

Dear HSEI Parents,

Greetings from the Harlem Center for Education (HCE). My name is David Perez and I am the Executive Director of the Harlem Center for Education. HCE has recently established a collaboration with the High School for Excellence and Innovation to provide additional college access support to your young adults. Specifically, we will be working closely with the HSEI administration and college advising team to assist with college admissions applications, financial aid applications, career counseling, and academic advising. All our services are free. Since we will be working with you and your young adults on the college transition process, I wanted to provide you with some background information about our organization.

The Harlem Center for Education is a not-for-profit organization and was founded in 1970 as the East Harlem College and Career Counseling Program, with the mission of assisting low-income, first generation students to enroll in and complete postsecondary education. Over our 50-year history, we have assisted over 25,000 students to enroll in 85 colleges. We are funded by the U.S. Department of Education under the Educational Talent Search program, which provides free college access services to low-income, first generation students who are in need of assistance to complete the college application process. Please visit our website at https://harlemctred.org for more information.

We strongly believe that every student is capable of pursuing education and training after high school, both as a means of enhancing their career opportunities and their personal growth. Me and my staff (Academic Advisors Genesis Pantosin and James Ruffin) are excited about the opportunity to work with you and your young adults to provide any assistance and guidance we can as they embark on their next education journey - whether that is a four-year college, community college, or vocational training. Thanks in advance for your partnership.

Sincerely,

David Perez

Executive Director