Opening Doors: NJCDC’s 2025 Ivy League Tour Inspires Paterson Youth to Dream Big

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At NJCDC, our vision is bold and unwavering: we believe that every one of the 8,000 children living or attending school in Paterson’s Great Falls neighborhood deserves the opportunity to graduate from high school ready for college and a successful career. One of the most powerful ways we bring that vision to life is through our annual Ivy League Tour — a transformative college visit that introduces local youth to some of the country’s most prestigious institutions and helps them imagine themselves there.

Launched in 2017, the Ivy League Tour has become a cornerstone of our college-readiness programming. For many Paterson students — who come from a city where only about 10% of adults have college degrees — the experience is nothing short of eye-opening. Over the years, the tour has contributed to a remarkable trend: 100% of recent Paterson Youth Council members have gone on to four-year colleges, with some tour alumni enrolling at Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and other elite institutions.

This spring break, we held our seventh annual Ivy League Tour, bringing more than 40 students from NJCDC programs — including our Paterson Youth Council, Great Falls Teen Center at International High School, Great Falls Youth Center, and Passaic County Technical Institute (PCTI) Teen Center — to visit Harvard University, MIT, and Brown University.

“This trip helped me open myself to bigger goals,” said one junior from the Great Falls Teen Center at International High School, reflecting on their experience at Brown. “I feel inspired to attend Brown University.”

Exploring Possibilities, Building Confidence

The tour began early Wednesday morning at NJCDC headquarters, where students boarded a bus bound for Harvard University. After lunch near campus, students explored the Harvard Yard on a tour led by the Crimson Key Society and met with Isabela Gonzalez, a Great Falls Teen Center alumna now in her third year at Harvard. She shared her experience transitioning from Paterson to Cambridge, offering both inspiration and practical advice.

“Meeting students like Isabela — who grew up in the same city as our youth and now attends one of the most selective universities in the world — shows our students what’s possible,” said David Gelman, NJCDC’s Chief Program Officer. “They don’t just hear that it’s attainable — they see it for themselves.”

The group ended the first day with dinner and sightseeing at Boston’s historic Faneuil Hall Marketplace, before heading to their hotel for the night.

The next morning, students traveled to MIT, where they participated in a group tour and attended a session hosted by the MITES (Minority Introduction to Engineering and Science) program. For many students interested in STEM, the session was a highlight.

“This trip made me realize that the college experience is so much bigger than just me,” said Arafa C., a sophomore at PCTI. “The MITES semester program will be a great opportunity, and I’m going to try it and see where it leads me.”

Joining the tour at MIT was Eduardo Mitzi, a PCTI Teen Center alum who went on this very trip last year and just wrapped up his freshman year at Northeastern University. Eduardo shared words of encouragement and advice, reflecting on how the experience had shaped his own journey. He also took the opportunity to reconnect with some of our youth participants, offering a unique and relatable perspective on college life.

Students also stopped by the office of MIT President Dr. Sally Kornbluth, a Paterson native, and left a few small gifts from her hometown. Though she wasn’t available to meet in person this year, her Senior Advisor welcomed the group, thanked them for the visit, and assured them she would be available next year.

From Cambridge, the group headed to Providence, Rhode Island, for a visit to Brown University, where they took part in a campus tour and an information session at the Brown Center for Students of Color (BCSC). The BCSC left a strong impression on students, several of whom expressed a newfound interest in applying.

“I’ve decided to apply to Brown,” said Ava, a junior. “I enjoyed learning about the community that the Brown Students of Color organization brings to campus. It made me feel like I could belong there.”

Samiya, another junior from PCTI, was equally inspired. “I would love to apply to Brown because of the welcoming atmosphere and different opportunities it offers,” she said. “I love that Brown has an open curriculum where students can choose classes that don’t have to match their major.”

Realizing What’s Possible

Across two whirlwind days, students didn’t just explore campuses — they began to see themselves as future college students, and in some cases, future Ivy Leaguers. Each year, this tour proves that exposure can change expectations. It’s about more than seeing elite campuses — it's about planting the seeds of belief that Paterson youth can and will achieve incredible things.

“I feel very grateful to go on this trip,” said Genesis Guevara, a sophomore at the Great Falls Teen Center. “It helped me realize many things and motivated me to reach new heights and strive for more.”

A senior from PCTI described the tour as “a great opportunity to understand the various programs and experiences these universities have to offer,” adding that it was especially valuable “to learn about these colleges and ask questions first-hand.”

NJCDC leadership sees this kind of transformation as central to the tour’s purpose. “We created the Ivy League Tour to help our students envision themselves at the very best colleges in the country,” said Bob Guarasci, NJCDC’s Founder and CEO. “Each year, they come away more confident, more curious, and more determined. They realize that they’re just as capable as any other student in the country.”

As the students returned to Paterson on Thursday night, many carried with them more than souvenirs and college brochures — they came back with new goals, fresh motivation, and the understanding that no school is out of reach.