The partnership allows seniors at the Kew Gardens Hills-based high school to earn at least six college credits through courses at the Flushing-based college.

Numerous Townsend Harris High School students were in attendance for the announcement. Photo by Ramy Mahmoud

Operating through the CUNY College Now program, students who participate in the bridge program will do so at no cost.

The previous bridge program between the two schools, which had run for approximately 40 years, had its funding cut by the New York City Department of Education in 2020, resulting in Townsend Harris High School having to fund it through its budget until it was unable to do so last year. The CUNY College Now program will help relieve that financial burden.

Under the new program, Townsend Harris High School seniors will enroll in one Humanities Seminar course at Queens College in the fall semester and another in the spring semester.
Townsend Harris High School, located at 149-11 Melbourne Ave. in Kew Gardens Hills, is a short walk away from the Queens College campus. Photo by Ramy Mahmoud

Several leaders from Queens College, Townsend Harris High School and CUNY, along with local elected officials, were on hand for the celebration of the bridge program’s return. Among them were Queens College Interim President Elizabeth Hendrey, Townsend Harris High School Principal Brian Condon, CUNY P20 Pathways Senior University Dean Andrea Soonachan and Townsend Harris High School English Teacher Brian Sweeney.

Townsend Harris High School Principal Brian Condon and Queens College Interim President Elizabeth Hendrey. Photo by Ramy Mahmoud

“We ran into funding issues, and so the partnership had been suspended for some time. We’re now resuming it as part of the CUNY College Now framework, and we’re very happy for that, because this is something that I think is important,” Hendrey said. “I can also say from teaching at Queens College in the past, having the Townsend Harris students in the classroom is wonderful. They’re terrific students, and we’re just so happy to see this partnership resuming.”

Hendrey addresses the Townsend Harris High School students. Photo by Ramy Mahmoud

“[The bridge program] encourages college attendance because you’ve tried college, and you know you can succeed. It’s financially beneficial to individual families. Thirdly, it’s beneficial to the city, because you have an educated workforce. You have students that are ready to go on and take on more challenging roles in society,” Condon said. “What the program does that’s unique is it’s not just awarding college credits. They actually use the college campus, so they have access to the college library, which helps them with their research. They take their classes over there. They intermix with Queens College students and Queens College faculty.”

Condon speaks at the celebratory event. Photo by Ramy Mahmoud

“The reason we’re so invested in it is because we know that students who earn those credits are more likely to enroll in college and more likely to be successful when they enroll. Our students who come into CUNY with CUNY credits have higher first semester GPAs. They graduate college on time, so it’s a really powerful way for students to see and really get started on their college journeys even sooner and save time and money on that path,” Soonachan said. “[Participating students] are taking on a big challenge. They’re taking on college courses while they’re still high school students. They work incredibly hard too. These are not watered-down courses. They are meeting college standards and expectations in these courses and earning a real college transcript before they graduate.”

Soonachan addresses the audience. Photo by Ramy Mahmoud

“Our students take an additional English course at Townsend Harris as freshmen, so that they can essentially, as seniors, be college freshmen. Being able to have this partnership ensures the door is right there. They’re able to walk over to the college and experience not something simulating college, but something that really is college as seniors in high school. So that when they start a year later, wherever they end up going to college, they’re totally comfortable with the structure of college, the expectations of college and just the feel of it,” Sweeney said. “We work hard to maintain this program because we think that it really is something special, and we appreciate the work that they put in to really earn this. I know that they care about it and it matters to them. So it’s just special for us to also be there with them today and and talk about it.”

Sweeney speaks at the event. Photo by Ramy Mahmoud