Asbury Park student will attend Yale, credits Sisters Academy with instilling 'work ethic'

ASBURY PARK - For 25 years, the Sisters Academy of New Jersey has helped young girls find their paths in life. Now, one alumnus is headed to Yale University.

"I don't think I ever imagined myself going to an (Ivy League university). I mean a girl can definitely dream about it, but for it actually to become reality ... it is definitely still sinking in," said Dayra Mejia-Reyes who graduated from Sisters Academy in 2018. "But no, I don't think I would have ever both (gotten in) or attended without the help of Sisters Academy."

Mejia-Reyes, who was born and raised in Asbury Park, went to Bradley Elementary School before she attended Sisters Academy from fifth to eighth grade. She attended high school at Trinity Hall in Tinton Falls.

"I remember that I had a teacher named Mr. Fletcher. He was one of my favorite teachers, and whenever he would have parent teacher conferences with my dad and I, he would talk about how he really couldn't see me going into public schools for my education. He especially was the one rooting for me, and he wanted to see me be able to achieve my goals both academically and personally. That's when he recommended Sisters Academy," she said.

The school traces its roots to 1986 when the Sisters of Mercy purchased and renovated 1106 Main St. and incorporated under the name Mercy Center. In 1991, the Sisters of Mercy purchased the adjacent property and renovated it. The building now has a large food pantry and kitchen along with office and meeting space.

Focused on its vision statement, "We strive to alleviate generational poverty in the Greater Asbury Park area," the center began operating the Sisters Academy of New Jersey, a middle school on Springwood Avenue for underserved girls from economically challenged families. The school currently teaches fifth through eighth grades, but will start fourth grade classes in the fall.

Since 1997, the Catholic school has served a largely African American and Latino community, and their students excel as they go on to graduate high school, with most going on to college.

The academy focuses on educating girls from the surrounding communities in order to provide them with the tools necessary to gain access into and succeed in high school and college. According to their website, 100% of their students graduate from high school.

"I would say it challenged me. I would say in comparison to my other cousins, that are about the same age, they definitely did not have the course load or the workload that Sisters Academy was giving. At the time, it was definitely an adjustment to the amount of work we were receiving," Mejia-Reyes said.

She added that luckily she had a wonderful class and was able to make long-lasting friendships.

"But I will say that it was more so encouraged just to focus on academics. In the long run, I think it really instilled in me discipline that is really necessary. If you want to go far in life, you really need that discipline, also the work ethic Sisters Academy taught me," she said.

Sisters Academy also emphasized the idea of dreaming big. "I think the stepping stones of everything definitely began at Sisters," Mejia-Reyes said.

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She noted that an all-girls education also can be especially important to young girls.

"Being at Sisters Academy and having a group of girls where we were jointly challenged and constantly trying to improve ourselves was especially nurturing of the fact that we were all growing and trying to discover who we were. I think all-girls education is something very special," Mejia-Reyessaid.

She plans to study political science and eventually go on to law school.

Former New Jersey Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, who once served as president and CEO at Fulfill, formerly known as the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties, is the executive director of the Mercy Center.

"We are very proud of Dayra and all of our 300 graduates. And with the addition of our tuition-free fourth grade next year, I am confident many of our graduates will follow in Dayra's footsteps with incredible achievements. She is a shining example of all the young women who attend Sisters Academy of New Jersey," Guadagno said.

Guadagno said Mercy Center, through the school and what she called other "wrap-around services," has the ability to end generational poverty by educating young women in the Asbury Park area.

Those services include a series of targeted, holistic assistance such as food, clothing, and money for utilities, as well as advocacy, counseling and behavior modification services for families.

The center's food pantry served some 1,245 people in March alone.

In addition, the center recently hired people who speak Spanish, Creole and Arabic to expand its services and reach.

"We have opened up to communities that have not been served in the past. This month we have an Arabic speaking advocate, so this month we served Ramadan breakfast baskets. We have also reached out to the local imams and opened a door to serving that community also," Guadagno said.

Charles Daye is the metro reporter for Asbury Park and Neptune, with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion. Contact him: CDaye@gannettnj.com

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Yale-bound Asbury Park girl credits Sisters Academy for work ethic