Students in the spring 2008 Class of the DSY work on revising their resumes with a volunteer businesswoman executive from MetLife (left) at a workshop.

This semester the young people of the Development School for Youth (DSY) had extraordinary interactions with business and cultural leaders, as well as with each other. Among these various experiences, the students participated in a mock trial of Goldilocks hosted by the Honorable Judge Sonia Sotomayor of the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals, they learned about hedge funds from executives at Elliott Management, and received public speaking tips from workshop leaders at Deutsche Bank and Dewey & LeBoeuf, LLP.

Many of the students also participated in cultural outings hosted by the DSY’s Assistant Program Directors and Program Associates. One group visited the MoMA and dined at a French restaurant, while another explored the Time Warner Center, attended a youth program at Jazz at Lincoln Center hosted by Wynton Marsalis and were guests of Michael Lomonaco, chef and owner of the Porter House New York Restaurant.

On Wednesday, May 14, the 43 students who make up the Joseph A. Forgione Development School for Youth spring 2008 class celebrated their graduation! The event was hosted by Credit Suisse and was moderated by All Stars board member Nathaniel Christian, III, General Counsel, CastleOak Securities. Tonya Cauley, Special Investigator, NY State Office of the Attorney General was the keynote speaker.

And as the spring 2008 semester of the New York and New Jersey DSY draws to a close, both the spring 2008 and Fall 2007 graduates anxiously await their summer internship experiences.

This summer the DSY Internship Department is on a campaign to secure 225 internships for our young people in both New Jersey and New York! So far 55 companies have committed to supporting these young people’s development by sponsoring 160 internships – providing the young people with an opportunity to work and to grow in a professional setting that they would never otherwise have. The internship component of the DSY is integral to the program’s success and the young people’s continued opportunities to grow and develop.

For more information on the Development School for Youth, please contact Kirsten Fulda at kfulda@allstars.org.