See full gallery of photos on Facebook.
"Give boldly. Love deeply. And remember this — when you lift up a young person, you don’t just change their life… you change generations." ~ 2025 Alumna Speaker Alicka Ampry-Samuel
On May 1, SSP scholars, donors, mentors, and friends gathered to celebrate the transformative impact of our work at Gotham Hall for our 26th Annual Founder's Dinner. With the theme "Metamorphosis: Transforming Lives & Communities," our supporters swooped in like a kaleidoscope of butterflies to ensure we're able to continue our work helping NYC youth reach their highest potential!
We kicked off the evening with 100 SSP Scholars from All Hallows and Preston High Schools who brought glowing butterflies to our guests and shared how SSP has transformed their lives. That led into our first Alumnus Speaker, Ricardo Watson, who shared his journey from going through a house fire in the Bronx to a homeless shelter to the projects and how SSP helped propel his trajectory to his current life as a Managing Director at JPMorganChase.
We were then inspired as we heard from two inspiring young students – Ne'Kiya Jackson and Calcea Johnson. While in high school at St. Mary's Academy in New Orleans, the two discovered innovative proofs using trigonometry to Pythagoras’ theorem, previously considered impossible. The groundbreaking work was published in American Mathematical Monthly, and they presented at the American Mathematical Society conference. Their accomplishment gained them international attention, including a feature on 60 Minutes, recognition from the NAACP, and a shoutout from former first lady Michelle Obama. Read more here.
We were also incredibly proud to hear from two alumni whose lives were transformed by SSP and who have gone on to achieve amazing things! Alicka Ampry-Samuel, former NYC Council Member and Presidential Appointee, and SSP Board Member Ricardo Watson, Managing Director and Chief Risk Officer at JPMorganChase, gave personal and touching testaments to the transformative impact SSP has had on their lives, families, and communities. We heard how they've both overcome early adversity to find success, and we're so grateful to them for giving back. They remind us why we've been doing this work for nearly four decades!
We were also truly grateful to two other Board Members – Chair Henry Mulholland and Vice Chair Bob Niehaus – for joining in this celebration of SSP.
Because of our caring community, we have raised $1,800,000 million (including $200,000 in donations made in the room!) and counting that will go toward life-changing programs that impact the success of and opportunities for students across New York City. If you want to donate in honor of the Founder's Dinner, there's still time to take action.
We've shared more photos and video from the event on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
