exalt Scholars Institute











Exalt you really helped me out getting me straight to my dreams before i even did,
until i made that time line of achievements now i think I’m the best rapper alive there ever was.
Exalt you really helped me find out about the “School to Prison” pipeline,
so everything that I Learned in exalt I take to the streets,
I don’t waste no time.
everything i achieved was mostly because of exalt,
so everything that I do I take part
thanks to the exalt staffs,
you all will always be apart of my heart.
THANK YOU EXALT!!

working in the internship as a scholar thinking about the exalt peers that I worked with



{June 17, 2009}   What Art Is By Naomi Gaddy
Naomi, glowing with soon motherhood and taking a breather after writing

Naomi glowing with soon motherhood and taking a breather after writing

Many people create their own art. They also have many ways of expressing their ideas. Writing and drawing are remarkable ways of sharing your thoughts with others. My way of communicating my thoughts is drawing. It fills up people’s minds and helps them figure out the puzzle that is hidden inside of me. When creating a drawing of my own I am somewhat not thinking about what is happening on the paper. Thoughts fill my head, pain and cries, happiness and being delighted about life, or just even an image that can be created in a drawing without being noticed.



Nyquashia working on her writing

Nyquashia working on her writing

Last weekend was my first time going to Washington, NY. I went to visit my boyfriend at the Washington Correctional  Facility. The bus ride was about seven hours long. As I listened to my music and looked out the window I saw all different types of shopping areas, food markets, houses, tall trees, a whole lot of cemeteries, and just a lot of land. I really didn’t see too many people out and it also was very quiet. It looked like things I saw on TV. It was so weird though because it seemed like the farther we got the foggy it became. It was wonderful to see him and I plan on going back next month again.



Ramel working on his story about the Bronx

Ramel working on his story about the Bronx

Last night was a very quiet night so it was easy to here people argue.

“Who the f**k you think you are?”

I peeked out from my window on the sixth floor. I saw a black man in socks and a ripped shirt. A women was just a little shorter than him.

”Whats up with you?” said the women.

”I told you to call me baby. I’m sorry, let me go upstairs.”

“Whoa,” he said. “Hold on. My clothes is all over the place.”

”You covering up something,” she said.

“Its been a long day. Lets go out to eat.”

“No, I want to know whats going on. What’s upstairs? I’m going upstairs.”

“No, no. What you doing?”

She hustled passed him and went upstairs and the stairs cracked every step she took. The guy stopped her again but she was’t listening and she opened the door and saw another woman in the shower and she cried and said, ”You cheated on me! Bye!”

She ran down the steps and he ran right after her and said, ”I needed more love.”

She said, ”Well you got it.”

He grabbed her and she was trying to pull away and he pushed her on the floor. Then the cops came and arrested the man for assault.



{June 10, 2009}   Empathy by Marcquis Jones
Always looking smooth, Marcquis Jones takes a moment to pose for the camera

Always looking smooth, Marcquis Jones takes a moment to pose for the camera

Today was just a regular day. School ended and like wind I blew passed my school onto the bus and left.  At 5:12, I arrived at exalt and now here I am writing this blog about empathy for someone. I think I show a lot of that to people and it can be a good thing and a bad thing. Why? Because some people don’t need empathy. They just need a little discipline. But then again I am not going to walk around wanting people to feel sorry for me just because I was in foster care  for 5 years. I think you can show empathy without feeling too sorry for people.  It is like bums on the street. When you see them you might go and give them a little money or food but I wouldn’t. I would ask them if they are willing to work for it or ask them what they are willing to do for it.



I love my life but then again I hate it.  So I keep on living my life to see what happens. As I live my life to see what happens I don’t know why but the hate comes first and when love comes it comes once in a blue moon. Its so bad when I wake up in the morning I start to hate. One morning I wondered how can I find love. So I asked my mother, ‘How do I find love?” She said, ”Love is happiness, like the day I gave birth to you. That day was the best day of my life.”



It all started when I woke up early in the morning and I went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. I could not see out of my left eye because that’s  how bad my lover had beaten me. That’s when I took  control and went to the kitchen to grab a knife and a pot of grits so that he could understand me more. I did that because I wanted to have protection.  I grabbed my bags and took one more look at my lover and said, “I would rather make love to the truth then to make love to a LIE!!!!



The always calm, cool, and intelligent, Zaquan Holman, aka Z-Z

The always calm, cool, and intelligent, Zaquan Holman, aka Z-Z

Nothing mattered to me anymore, not girls, not family, not even friends. It was just me by myself in the pale, drab, white lead poison room that was filled with hatred for the image that was in the mirror. I was so focused on money. Money, Money, Money. It was coming fast like a leopard. I sold Newports and dollar water at Yankee Stadium. On my block, people called them “hustle men.” I was just one of them. I loved to look so fly  girls would throw themselves at me. I felt like a man on top of the world holding the things I loved the most, money and girls. Then I met this young,  strong man that went through life without worrying about how much money he got or needed. His name was Matt Goodman. This man was all about life and learning about new things, giving books to read and telling me its not all about money and girls.



Devaughn Watt takes the world in

Devaughn Watt takes the world in

I got out of the dollar van and saw my right hand man, so I called out, “Sturkey!” He walked over and I said, “What’s up turkey?” and then I laughed and said, “I’m just joking. Where are you going?”

He said, “To meet this girl name Maddie.”

I said, “Wait for me. I’m going to get a beef patti.”

He asked, ‘”Could you buy me one?”

I said, “Gladly.”

Now Im felt good.

Sturkey asked me what time I was comming to the hood and I told him probably around eight.  He said he would come to my house andI told him not to make to much noise when he opened the gate.

“Also make sure you have my game.”

I grabbed my book bag and ran to the train. All I heard was people beeping their horns. I get down stairs and pulled out my metro card and  swiped it through.

An officer screamed out, ”Come over here young man!”

I walked over and said, ”Is there a problem?”

He said, ”Whose metro card is that in your hand?”

I said, “Mine.”

He said, ”Don’t make me slap you, you little punk. Don’t lie. If you’re not telling the truth I will make you cry”.

I looked up and asked him why and he laughed and said I hurt punks like you on purpose. Then he asked for my I.D and asked me why I looked so nervouse.  I said, ”what?” and balled up my fist. Then I looked at the cop and thought  you are not worth it. He gave me my I.D  back and said let me leave you little punk.  I looked him in the eyes and said don’t get thrown in a trunk, laughed, and kept on walking.



My day was like a war because it felt like a captain was yelling in my ear, “Move, move!”  I realize my life and Brooklyn is a war of  it’s own because as I moved on with my day I saw a young lady die in front of me and her daughter yelled, “Help me please!” But there was no help as the little girl continued yelling. I walked down the block and a group of people were fighting over some  gang colors and the police came after someone died on the coroner of Albany and Dean. I continued walking to school. My friend got arrested by the school because he had a knife in  his pocket and he went in the school building and school safety checked  him and they realize that he had the knife in his pocket. Then the safety officer walked him out of the school and the police came and picked him up. Then I had to go pick up my daughter from her mother house at 3:40. I had a fight  on my way there because a crip thought that I was blood because I had on a red and black shirt. I got a cut on my shoulder and then I went to my baby mother’s house and she called 911.  An ambulance came and the man stitched my arm up. Finally, I went home.



et cetera
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