High Road NYC Fellows Head Home, But Roots Remain

“And this experience just reaffirmed my love for nature,” began Caitlin Gallagher ‘26. A strange realization to have in New York City. “It's really hard to have a bad day when you get to plant things and watch them grow. It's a very rewarding experience, and so, I thank you.”

The second year of High Road NYC ended in late July. Final presentations from 24 fellows brought together their mentors, colleagues, community members, and just about anyone who had made it yet another fruitful summer for the ILR students. 

Growing up, Gallagher helped her dad, a fifth-grade science teacher, run a community garden for his students. “It's definitely a struggle when you don't get the support that you need. So, I thought that I could offer myself as a support for his community garden–it’s just been a running theme in my life,” she said. 

Now, years later, Gallagher spent her summer at The Horticulture Society of New York (“The Hort,” for short) doing the same thing: connecting New Yorkers with plants. “Realizing that other people don't have that same opportunity was very important,” said Gallagher, showing shades of Robert Taylor, recognizing the need for roots. “And I wanted to give people access to that.”

“Reading for class can only get you so far into understanding community issues,” said Gallagher. “Without connecting with community members, it's really difficult to understand the human aspect of how these issues affect people.”

“My personal story made it really easy for me to connect to this work and to the people that I was meeting throughout my entire summer,” reflected Marjorie Lopez Ardon ‘26.

“My mom worked as a domestic worker for the first half of my life. The conditions she had to work in had a very detrimental impact on my quality of life as a kid and on her quality of life as well. She eventually had to leave the work because of how it wasn't working out for her.”

Lopez Ardon spent the summer at Hand in Hand, “an organization that works as a resource and a network for those who employ domestic workers in their house–nannies, babysitters, house cleaners, and home care workers that may assist with personal care for a more elderly loved one.”

“There are stories that you will never know unless you go and seek them out,” imparted Lopez Ardon. “And they belong to the marginalized communities that make up domestic workers. Actively seeking out these narratives is crucial because they add depth to our understanding. Without that intentional effort to discover and share these stories, valuable perspectives are lost.”

“With this internship, I realized it’s hard to be an old person,” said Swati Sheth ‘26. “There's so much against you, especially if you're living in the city, especially with housing issues. So, helping constituents apply for programs, apply for lottery housing, and connect them to attorneys when they get eviction notices. And also realizing that there's a lot of pathways for hope.”

“Our society is not designed for the most marginalized people in this world, and this internship really just inspired me to continue fighting,” said Adriana Vink ‘27, who’s off to the midwest after this, campaigning for a politician, continuing the fight. 

Vink and Sheth were two of the several students working at New York State Senator Zellnor Myrie’s Brooklyn office this summer. “I'm so grateful to have met all of you,” beamed Vink, “And to have shared space with you at ILR and into the future in our careers.”

“I'm from Brooklyn,” Vink continued, “But this internship brought me places I hadn't been before and also allowed me to show my lovely fellow interns around my borough and my home.” Up on the screen flash pictures: dinner plates piled high in a smokey K-Town restaurant; Sheth asleep on the subway’s deep branching lines; the Senator Myrie crew sit on a park bench, sunlight scattering through leaves into frame.

“I think these pictures show the deep friendships we made in this internship. I think that as you continue through college and, the older you get, the less likely you are to meet new people. And so that was just such an amazing part of this program–getting to meet every single one of you. Such a privilege,” remarked Sheth.

“I got to explore the city, I had some of the best pizza of my life in Brooklyn, I played pickleball every weekend, and I even celebrated my birthday in the city,” said a now slightly older Davyn Jones ‘26. “I want to thank everyone throughout the fellowship.”

“You have to have some sort of firsthand connection to the people who you will be impacting,” said Fiona Yin ‘27. “We were able to engage with the community on the ground,” added Yuchan Son ‘26. “It’s not just about theory or high-level learning. It’s really about meeting with the people that are impacted by the policy.”

“You guys have just been such a joy to work with,” said Minah Whyte, Yin and Son’s Community Board 10 supervisor. “You were so open to exploring the community and just learning so much more about Harlem…We're just so sad to see you go.”

“Well,” began Miguel Walters, making good on his promise to show up for Yin and Son’s final showcase, “I don't have a question, but I do have a statement: From the staff of Manhattan Community Board 10, we thank you.”

A round of applause for all the students and Esta Bigler ‘70 closes out the summer. “Every single day, I stood in the back and listened, and each time, I learned more things from you. I am so proud of every single one of you. I look forward to watching you as you blossom and grow,” said Bigler. “Thank you all very much for coming. It's been an incredible pleasure.”

And so the fellows, no longer so green, begin again, dispersing in patterns branching and wide. The fall semester sweeps them north to Ithaca, but their roots remain deep in the city soil–faces in the crowd bloom.