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There for Trishana

Springfield Gardens school comes to aid of student in need
New York Teacher
Graduating senior Trishana Brown (center) is heading to college next year thanks
Jonathan Fickies

Graduating senior Trishana Brown (center) is heading to college next year thanks to the support she received from educators at the Preparatory Academy for Writers, including (from left) Chapter Leader DeShanna Barker, teacher Stephanie Tello, guidance counselor Irene Chan, school counselor Gabrielle James and teacher Aziza Davis.

Trishana went on the senior class trip to Florida thanks to the school’s educato

Trishana went on the senior class trip to Florida thanks to the school’s educators, who paid her way.

In happier times, talented daughter and mother sing a duet.

In happier times, talented daughter and mother sing a duet.

Family comes in many forms. And many sizes.

Trishana Brown, a 19-year-old high school senior, has one that’s as big as a school community.

Trishana arrived here from Jamaica nearly three years ago with her mom and three siblings, and when she most needed support, Preparatory Academy for Writers: A College Board School in Springfield Gardens, Queens, stepped in to be the second family she needed.

Trishana’s mother, Simone, was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in the spring of 2015. “Her mom was a courageous fighter, and so is Trishana,” said DeShanna Barker, the school’s chapter leader.

Once Trishana reached out for help, educators rallied around the graduating senior. They helped in ways large and small, offering comfort and guidance during the course of her mother’s unsuccessful chemotherapy treatment and during the grieving in the wake of her death.

Trishana sought out her senior advisory teacher, Gabrielle James, when her mom’s illness was weighing on her. “She started giving me good advice, like how to be strong,” said Trishana. “I didn’t like talking much; I was keeping stuff to myself. When I started telling her, she told me anytime I needed anything, to come to her.”

James, a first-year school social worker, gave Trishana her phone number, saying, “No matter what happens to mom, I’m going to help you.”

James — and other educators at the school — lived up to that promise.

When her mother could no longer work, the family had to move from an apartment in Queens to a shelter in Brooklyn. “We made sure she had no early-morning classes so she could get there in time,” James said.

Getting to the hospital was a taxi ride away, money that Trishana didn’t have. “Ms. James picked me up at the shelter and took me to see my mom at the hospital and also took me there after school,” Trishana said.

James discussed with Simone what would happen to her children if she did not regain her health, which led to the decision to bring the children’s grandmother to this country.

When Simone passed away, the family was left without resources: All their savings had been spent on her medical treatment. The school community held fundraisers and educators dug deep into their own pockets. They accompanied Trishana to a funeral home and, in an effort spearheaded by science and special ed teacher Aziza Davis, were able to raise enough money to ensure that “the child can now go to a grave to visit her mother,” James said.

“I did it from my heart,” said Davis. Like Trishana, she had arrived in this country from Jamaica during her high school years. When Trishana was enrolled in Davis’ astronomy class, Trishana confided in the teacher.

“I saw a need and I wanted to get involved,” Davis said. “I talk to her every day. She says, ‘You’re my second mom.’”

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Proudly wearing her cap and gown, Trishana attends her June 25 graduation.She de

Proudly wearing her cap and gown, Trishana attends her June 25 graduation.She decorated the top of her mortarboard with the message, "Look Ma, I did it 2016."

The school community’s efforts did not end there: James connected the family with free legal services to put them on the path to citizenship. “The court process has been finalized, and we’re just waiting on the paperwork for her green card,” James said. “So to know that a child’s life has really changed, that’s a good feeling because how could she afford college without a green card?”

With concern and prodding, her teachers made sure college did not fall by the wayside. “Ms. James and my teachers were always reminding me, ‘Did you apply to colleges?’” Trishana recalled. They also found ways to ensure that application fees were available for the stellar student.

Despite the adversity, Trishana maintained her focus on schoolwork, grades and her future, graduating with a 3.8 GPA. “She is an amazing student — I feel blessed to have her in my life,” said Barker.

The school community also provided the family with Christmas gifts, and when it came time for the senior trip to Universal Studios and a water park in Florida in April, they paid Trishana’s way.

The trip was expensive, James said, but “it was priceless to see her smiling, laughing and having a good time.”

Educators also pitched in to help cover her expenses for graduation and the prom.

“I’m trying to be a role model for my younger brother and sister by going to college,” Trishana said. Her goal is to attend a CUNY school and either study to become a registered nurse, because her mother benefited from wonderful nurses, or to follow in her mother’s footsteps (she was the manager of a restaurant) and study culinary arts.

Trishana says she loves Prep Academy and its staff. “They are engaged in everything and make sure every student is taken care of,” she said.

Said Davis, “It’s a very close-knit school where everyone is ready to give. We mourn together, and we’re happy together.”