Why I Go to a Charter School

By Abigail Singh
Senior at Mesa Charter High School

“My parents noticed that I wasn't learning as much, so they enrolled me in a charter school.”

[I recently learned about Abigail Singh, a HS student here in NYC who was selected to join the National Voices in Education fellowship. I asked her to write about her experience at charter schools and her opinion on the debate to lift the cap. -Danyela]

My name is Abigail Singh, and I am a 17-year-old senior at MESA Charter High School in Bushwick, Brooklyn. I enrolled in this school because my parents believed it was another charter that would greatly benefit me in my post-high school preparation. My experience here at MESA is multifarious as I was able to get a lot of opportunities that I wouldn’t have been able to.

The culture of MESA is one that I haven’t felt at other schools, it fosters deep connections as we traverse our years with our grades and have the chance to learn a lot from our peers, and grow our networks.

“MESA offers you the chance to pursue your own unique passions. I co-founded and currently hold the position of president of MESA's National English Honor Society. Recently, I was able to launch MESA's first student-run newspaper.”

However, this isn’t the first time I was a student at a charter school. I was also a student at WCCS, Williamsburg Collegiate Charter School, here is where I completed my middle school education. My parents noticed that I wasn't learning as much as I should have been at the Catholic school where I was initially receiving my education, so they made the decision to enroll me in a charter middle school.

As there were few teachers and low graduation rates at the public school near where I live, my mom decided to ask for advice from other parents in the area. She learned that the system wasn't very good. She was able to speak with another mother who had enrolled her child in a charter school, learned about the advantages, and convinced her to sign me up because she wanted a system that would encourage students to do their best work.

She loved the approach since it required teachers to pay careful attention to each student's academic development and provide guidance to parents on how to further encourage their children to push themselves academically. She also noticed that I was making significant improvement. So being able to go to school there was a great experience. We were able to take trips at the end of every year, which allowed us to travel - something I would not have been able to do if I hadn't gone to a charter.

My first year I was able to go upstate, then to New Orleans my seventh year, and lastly, in eighth grade, Costa Rica. Participating in these journeys and having the opportunity to see these places has allowed me to deepen my understanding by being present in front of new locations, cultures, and really seeing the world outside of where I learn, which is revolutionary.

It's good that charter schools can provide for young people and open doors for them that they otherwise wouldn't have. In spite of this, MESA also offers you the chance to pursue your own unique passions. I co-founded and currently hold the position of president of MESA's National English Honor Society, which allows me to guide the organization and optimize the writing and English talents of younger students.

Recently, I was able to launch MESA's first student-run newspaper, allowing students to really broaden the breadth of their interests in English by getting a taste of journalistic content. The aspirations of thousands of young people like myself have recently been dashed by the charter debate that has been sparked by concerns about the cap on charter schools, and specifically the support for limiting the number of charter schools in New York State.

I think students who attend charter schools have a greater opportunity to gain access to a system that can accommodate them and genuinely aid them to go beyond their own academic capabilities. I don't believe it's in the governor's best interests to restrict this power. I'll keep striving to make my charter school recognized as a place where students can support one another and feel truly seen. That’s what we are fostering, an environment of perseverance, and indelible success.

I think that the most important thing that schools need to do is to instill in every student the ability to go out in the world, and be a catalyst for positive change. In the end, the educational system that is in service of the student, that seeks to discover talents and support their development, is real education, and I hope all schools follow this.

Help more students like Abigail have a great education in NYC: tell your elected officials to lift the charter school cap.