City of Knowledge Podcast

High school students in New York City produced the podcast "City of Knowledge" by interviewing experts in the field of education access in the spring of 2023 as part of their Freedom and Citizenship Civic Leadership Project. View the rest of the group's project here.

Roger Lehecka

David, Ria, and Anny interview Roger Lehecka. Roger helped found the Upward Bound Program at Columbia in 1965, an experience that led him to a career dedicated to education access within the university. Lehecka has been a chair of the Double Discovery Center, has helped low income students throughout New York City and across the country apply to college, and was Dean of Students at Columbia. He currently teaches “Equity and Access in Higher Education” as a lecturer at Columbia.

Sarah Fischer

David interviews Sarah Fischer, former senior director of admissions at Vassar College and current outreach and selection officer at Schwarzman Scholars.

Sasha Bentley-Rohret

Ria and Michelle interview Sasha Bentley-Rohret. Sasha is the Senior Manager of Student Success and College Pathways at the National Education Equity Lab. She works with low-income students and students of color across the country to promote education equity by connecting them to college and economic access programs.

Yanette Rosario

Shantal, Selin, and Zittlali interview Yanette Rosario, a school psychologist in the south bronx, an alumna of Columbia University (CC '18, TC '22), and a former F&C Teaching Assistant (2017). She is first-generation college graduate from a low-income family, who saw the need for educational resources in her community.

These podcast episodes were recorded and produced by New York City high school students in the spring of 2023.