For Anaidys Uribe, the halls of KIPP Academy Lynn Collegiate (KALC) hold powerful memories. As the valedictorian of KALC’s first graduating class in 2015, Anaidys- Ms. Uribe, as her Geometry students know her now- is not only a KIPP alum and Lynn native, but now she is doing for her students the same thing that her teachers did for her: encouraging them to believe.
During her time as a student at KALC, Anaidys played basketball, ran track and cross country, and was her class president. When it came time to start talking about college with her teachers and advisor (shout out to her then advisor Mr. Boyd!) she was overwhelmed with choices.
“We were taught to visualize ourselves in a space,” Anaidys said. Anaidys wanted to go to college, but the financial barriers in the way made it difficult to even begin the process of applying. Federal aid and scholarships were available, but they weren’t enough.
Thanks to a recommendation from one of her teachers, Anaidys began the Posse Foundation Scholarship process. Three rounds of interviews with hundreds of other candidates in Anaidys’ shoes, culminating in a handful of students getting selected for the scholarship, which covers tuition for all four years of undergraduate education.
“I remember when I got the call, just bawling in my living room,” Anaidys laughs now as she reflects on her process going through Posse’s Dynamic Application Process (DAP). The scholarship allowed Anaidys four years at Hamilton College, where her path to coming back home to Lynn and KIPP came to fruition.
Anaidys applied for Teach for America (TFA) her junior year of college. After acceptance, she was placed to the Boston office, where they ultimately found her a role teaching geometry at none other than KIPP Academy Lynn Collegiate.
“It’s a different KIPP,” Anaidys says, noting that not only are school days shorter and students aren’t required to wear uniforms, but that ways of discipline were oppressive. In KALC’s growth since Anaidys’ time, the difference is noticeable and the results are palpable.
And Anaidys’ work is just getting started! She is currently in classes getting her Masters in Education while in her third year of teaching geometry at KALC.
“The first year is always rough, but it’s like a rite of passage. The work you’re doing does have an impact,” Anaidys says, when reflecting on her first year of teaching.
Thank you Ms. Uribe for your commitment to your students and yourself!
