Xanthe Jory: Charter School Founder

Master's in Education, CUNY-Lehman College, 1999 Master's in Educational Administration, Harvard School of Education, 2000

What I do:

Founder and Executive Director, The Bronx Charter School for the Arts

Why I do it:

I take the arts very seriously. I believe arts education is critical to human development and learning. The Bronx Art School is founded on this principle.

How I got here:

After graduation, I moved back to New York to work for a community development corporation based in the South Bronx. I then taught in a public school while earning a degree in elementary education at the City University of New York (CUNY)-Lehman College. I headed back to school full time at Harvard for my degree in Educational Administration. I returned to New York to work as an educational consultant, while at the same time working to start Bronx Charter School for the Arts.

Biggest accomplishment:

Founding Bronx Charter School for the Arts

Career goal:

My goal is for Bronx Arts to be one of the best schools in New York City. I hope to expand the school in the future to encompass grades K-8.

What my Urban Studies major has done for me:

Having an Urban Studies background is a great way to start to understand the complexity of the issues that face urban areas right now. Students should use that sophistication they have learned in Urban Studies to try to find a piece of the puzzle that they feel really passionate about.