PENCIL, Inc.

Plot twist: I’m a high school principal 😅 In celebration of 30 years of PENCIL, Inc. today I volunteered at Epic North High as ‘Principal for a Day’ 🎓✨ The incredible young minds I met hit me with more thoughtful questions than a job interview, a therapy session, and a philosophy class combined. From global studies discussions, to volleyball games where I learned my athletic skills peaked in... well, never 😅, to sitting with the powerhouse girls of ‘My Sister’s Keeper’, and more - every moment reminded me why I believe in this generation. We dove deep into what really matters: knowing your values, trusting your inner compass, and having the courage to choose the life that’s authentically YOURS. Watching these students navigate their world with such wisdom and curiosity? Pure inspiration. Walking in their shoes for a day didn’t just give me perspective on today’s education system - it reignited my fire to make sure these brilliant humans have every opportunity to change the world tomorrow. Because trust me, they absolutely will. Massive thanks to Principal Breen and the entire Epic North family for the warmest welcome and hospitality, and for letting me be part of something so special. This is just the beginning! 🙌 #PrincipalForADay #PENCILnyc #EpicNorthHigh #NextGeneration #EducationMatters #Inspired #StudentVoices #CommunityPartnership #PFAD2025

Celebrating AAPI Heritage Month, honoring Ajay Bhatt This #AAPIHeritageMonth, we’re shining a spotlight on Ajay Bhatt, an inspiring leader, innovator in technology. Known as the co‑creator of USB technology, Ajay’s contributions to the tech world have transformed the way we connect and share information. But beyond his technical brilliance, Ajay exemplifies the spirit of mentorship and leadership. Like the students we serve at PENCIL, Ajay’s journey shows how access, opportunity, and guidance can shape future leaders. Let’s continue to connect NYC students to success!

Today, I had the opportunity to be Principal for a Day at my son's school; it's his senior year. I love that Pencil opened this door for me, and I had a wonderful experience. #PFAD#OurfutureLeaders#Pencil#PFAD2025 PENCIL, Inc. Pencil 

Thank you to everyone who joined us for PENCIL’s 30th Anniversary Principal For A Day® Summit last week! It was great to see principals and business leaders connect ahead of their school visits! The PENCIL team extends a special thank you to our inspiring Summit speakers: • Gerd Alexander, Partner, Paul Hastings & PENCIL Board Member • Kiersten Barnet, Executive Director, New York Jobs CEO Council • Dr. Monique Jackson-Dickens, WINGS Academy High School • Moses Ojeda, Principal, Thomas A. Edison CTE High School • Jo Lambert, Chief Operating Officer, Olo & PENCIL Board Chair And an additional thank you to Paul Hastings for generously hosting the event! Together, we’re building relationships that help connect NYC students to success!

I thought being a Principal for a Day would be eye-opening, but I didn’t expect to try a therapy balance board, tour a student-run greenhouse, visit 11 classrooms, debate AI with middle-schoolers, and crash a kindergarten dance party—all before 11 a.m.! Principal Rodriguez and her team at P.S. 333 pull this off every day while serving a community where 20% of students are non-English-speaking and 30% are students with disabilities. Budgets are tight and time is tighter, but their commitment to every child is undeniable. I left inspired—and motivated to help. I’ve started prototyping an AI-powered translation tool, aiming to help every student participate fully in class. Want to make your own impact? Check out PENCIL, Inc. Principal for a Day and other programs at pencil.org #PFAD2025 #NYCPublicSchools

Thank you to all of the educators and executives for participating in PENCIL's 30th anniversary Principal For A Day®! This year, PENCIL organized nearly 150 Principal For A Day visits across all 5 boroughs, reaching thousands of NYC public school students! To learn more about how your company can get involved with PENCIL and regularly engage with New York City students contact Angelie Singla, LMSW Vice President of Growth at [email protected] We hope you were moved by your Principal For A Day experience and will consider supporting PENCIL so that more students are connected to success. Make a donation here: https://pencil.org/donate/ #PFAD2025

𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟮: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵 1: 𝘌𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴... https://bit.ly/PFADpart1 A heartfelt thank you to Williamsburg Preparatory School for having me as their PENCIL, Inc. 𝙿̲𝚛̲𝚒̲𝚗̲𝚌̲𝚒̲𝚙̲𝚊̲𝚕̲ ̲𝙵̲𝚘̲𝚛̲ ̲𝙰̲ ̲𝙳̲𝚊̲𝚢̲. First and foremost, thank you to the incredible leadership 𝗞𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘆𝗮𝗻𝗻 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗼𝘄𝘀𝗸𝗶 & Rachel Montagano, teachers and students.  𝗧𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗴𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆, 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹... 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁. My time with the students was as inspiring as it was engaging. Their energy fuels my commitment to keep evolving and creating and most of all, following my heart… Thank you, Toni xx

📚 Proud to participate in PENCIL, Inc. annual Principal For A Day® and serve at Queens Metropolitan High School ! 🏫 I also had the incredible honor of participating in the 30th Anniversary PENCIL, Inc. Principal for a Day Summit, sponsored by the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators, Paul Hastings, and Ponce Bank. It was inspiring to connect with outstanding principals from every borough in NYC and fellow corporate participants from organizations like LinkedIn, EY, JPMorganChase, Macy's, Salesforce, Deloitte, Turner Construction Company, PwC and more. The future of education is bright with such committed partners. A special highlight was serving alongside the amazing Principal William Johnson at Queens Metropolitan High School. From a powerful Student Council roundtable to receiving a thoughtful gift from My Sister’s Keeper, every moment was filled with purpose and pride. 🙌 👏 Congratulations to Principal Johnson for his unwavering dedication and for receiving well-deserved recognition from Office of the Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, including capital funding approval for a Hydroponics Science Lab—a major win for STEM education! As a proud NYC Department of Education District 29 #Queens kid, it was deeply meaningful to give back in my home borough and witness the excellence, resiliency and accomplishments of NYC public school educators and students firsthand. 📸 Bonus joy: snagging my #PENCILmoment with friends from Molina Healthcare, Joiel Ray-Alexander and Socrates Jimenez. 🌟 Special thanks to Jessica Bynoe, President of PENCIL, Inc., for the invitation, match and leadership. #PrincipalForADay #QueensNYC #EducationMatters #STEMEducation #CommunityLeadership #PENCIL #PFAD2025 #PublicSchools #VanessaBest #PrecisionHealthcare #MentorshipMatters #HydroponicsLab #QueensSouthDistrict

I had the incredible honor of being selected to serve as a Principal For A Day® at the High School for Law and Public Service through PENCIL, Inc.'s signature annual program. As a proud product of the New York City public school system—from elementary school through college—this experience was especially meaningful to me. Walking through the halls of the High School for Law and Public Service, speaking with students who reminded me so much of myself at their age, and seeing firsthand the passion of educators who are deeply invested in their students’ success—it felt like coming full circle. The school’s leadership team is doing transformative work to create a culture of academic excellence, mentorship, and opportunity. Their dedication to empowering students with the tools they need to succeed—both inside and beyond the classroom—is truly inspiring. But the heart of this experience was the students. These brilliant young people aspire to be lawyers, doctors, entrepreneurs, and leaders. I had the privilege of sitting in on a business class where students pitched innovative, well-researched product ideas with confidence, clarity, and critical thinking. Their creativity, drive, and resilience moved me deeply—and gave me so much hope for the future. This experience reminded me of the words in Isaiah 58:12: “You will be called the Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.” It is a reminder that when we invest in others—especially our youth—we help restore foundations and build futures far beyond our own. PENCIL is a New York City-based nonprofit committed to creating equitable access to opportunity. Since 1995, PENCIL has played a critical role in bringing together business professionals, educators, and students to open eyes, open minds, and open doors. Their hands-on programs—including in-school partnerships, mentoring, internships, and immersive experiences like Principal for a Day®—create targeted opportunities to make a real difference in the classroom and beyond. If you or someone in your network is interested in supporting NYC public school students—whether by serving on a career panel, offering mentorship, or sharing internships, externships, or professional development programs—I would be grateful to connect. These students are ready. They just need the opportunity. Thank you to Heather Cannady-Avery for sharing this opportunity with me—it was a gift to be part of something so impactful. #PFAD2025 #PrincipalForADay #PENCIL #NYCSchools #CareerReadiness #Mentorship #CommunityLeadership #OpportunityMatters #PublicSchoolProud #grateful #sponsorship #stewardship #students #highschool #NYC #business #law #tech #medicine #science #professionaldevelopment