HIGHER ED TODAY
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COURIER LIFE,16 JULY 31-AUGUST 6, 2020
Bensonhurst
pastor gets A+
Monsignor David Cassato named
new vicar for Catholic schools
BY ROSE ADAMS
The Brooklyn Diocese
appointed Monsignor
David Cassato, the
pastor of St. Athanasius-
St. Dominic Church in
Bensonhurst, as the
new vicar for Catholic
schools on Thursday.
Cassato, who has
served as a pastor in
Bensonhurst since 2001,
will promote Diocesan
Catholic schools, serve
on the board of all Catholic
schools in Brooklyn
and Queens, and advise
the schools’ pastors in
his new role, the Diocese
said.
The pastor was ordained
by the Brooklyn
Diocese in 1972, holds
a Master of Science degree
in education from
Mercy College and has
worked extensively in
Catholic education. He
opened a Catholic school
while he was the pastor
of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Williamsburg,
Monsignor David Cassato was appointed the new vicar for
Catholic schools on July 23. The Diocese of Brooklyn
oversaw the merger of two
other schools, and served as the chaplain
of Bishop Kearney High School.
He has also served at Saint Rita’s in
Long Island City, and was appointed a
New York City Police Chaplain and,
later, Deputy Chief Chaplain.
Cassato’s wide-ranging experience
equips him to lead the borough’s
Catholic school system through the
challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic,
Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio said.
“Monsignor Cassato is stepping
into this role at a uniquely challenging
time for our Catholic schools. I
am confi dent he will be successful
because he handles his multiple responsibilities
with effect and grace,”
he said. “His experience will provide
him the opportunity also to be a great
leader in this new role.”
Cassato said that he hopes to continue
diversifying Brooklyn’s Catholic
schools by increasing outreach to
immigrants, particularly Latinos.
“We have so much to offer children
of all backgrounds, but especially immigrant
children, who we have been
educating for years,” he said. “Diversity
is in our DNA here in the Diocese,
and our students leave our Catholic
schools with the important values we
hold dear, a foundation for success
long after they graduate.”
He also commended the schools’
response the coronavirus pandemic,
but said that he plans to have classes
commence in person in September.
“While we see the online lessons
work in our schools, I believe that as
we look to start the new school year
in September, it is absolutely critical
that we open our network of Catholic
schools,” he said. “Children learn best
in the classroom. Of course, a lot is going
to depend on the decisions made
by government and health offi cials.”
Cassato will replace Auxiliary
Bishop James Massa, who was recently
appointed the rector of a seminary
in Westchester.
For more hyper-local Brooklyn news on your computer,
smartphone, or iPad, visit BrooklynPaper.com.
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As a mentor in CUNY’s College
Bridge for All program, Sebastián Sepúlveda
is focused on helping high school
graduates navigate the tricky transition
to college and escape the so-called “summer
melt,” a phenomenon in which all
too many prospective students succumb
to uncertainty in the restless months after
high school graduation and abandon
their college dreams.
Sepúlveda, who is about to begin his
junior year at Lehman College, is part of
a critical group of CUNY students who
are supporting thousands of graduating
seniors from city public high schools
as they navigate pre-college paperwork
and financial planning, activities that
can easily trip up incoming freshmen
during the long summer break, particularly
this year.
“These are very difficult times for
everyone,” says Sepúlveda, a first-generation
college student who immigrated
from Colombia six years ago and says
the scope of his responsibilities has
grown because of COVID-19. “This is
about helping the community to make
sure that no one is left behind.”
Even in the best of times, the transitional
period can be a precarious stretch.
Studies show that as many as 40 percent
of low-income students accepted to college
can experience a “summer melt”
that prevents them from matriculating
in the fall. In the face of the pandemic-interrupted
spring, when graduates were
isolated from teachers and advisers, that
percentage could be even greater this
coming fall.
That’s why CUNY is proud to offer
College Bridge for All as an essential
service to increase access to postsecondary
education for high school
graduates. Thanks to an $877,000 grant
from Bloomberg Philanthropies and a
$250,000 grant from The Carroll and Milton
Petrie Foundation, the program is
poised to reach graduating seniors from
every New York City public high school
this year, a significant achievement that
has magnified CUNY’s ability to help
New York and its colleges rebound from
the pandemic.
Employing a near-peer approach,
CUNY student coaches share their own
experiences with graduating seniors to
convey the importance of continuing
to college. It’s the equivalent of having
access to a guidance counselor, a big
brother or sister and a college adviser,
all rolled into one.
Launched in 2016 in collaboration between
CUNY and the New York City Department
of Education (DOE), the program
also serves as a source of summer
employment, this year paying 176 CUNY
students and additional coaches from
partnering community-based organizations
to help thousands of recent high
school grads. All told, their efforts will
support the entire Class of 2020, about
55,000 recent high school grads.
The benefits to incoming students
have been clear. In 2017, participating
students enrolled in college at a rate 11
percent higher than the DOE average,
an impact that was driven by increased
college enrollment for students identified
as low income, Latinx and/or Spanish
speaking.
CUNY is now combating summer
melt on multiple fronts. We recently received
a $175,000 grant from the Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation to pilot a new
summer bridge and persistence peer
mentoring program that mirrors the
goals of College Bridge for All.
College Bridge for All coach Cindy
Velíz, a junior at City Tech, describes
panicked texts from students who are
confused about paperwork and other
procedural hurdles, many of them
soon-to-be first-generation college students
who lack a support system to get
answers. Velíz walks them through the
process, easing their anxieties.
“I tell them stories about my own
experiences to make them feel comfortable,”
said Velíz, herself a first-gen college
student. “We talk about what they
may want to major in, their college
schedule, the kind of career they want to
pursue. ... We bond over our shared experiences,
and I feel like they’re more prepared
and excited to go to college after
our talks. It makes me feel good to know
that I’m making a difference.”
Recent graduates of city public high
schools who are looking to connect with
a Bridge coach can visit here.
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/BrooklynPaper.com
