Say Yes Buffalo is planning additional support to help students complete their degrees and building a scholarship endowment for Niagara Falls, CEO David Rust said Friday during the organization’s inaugural State of Say Yes address.
The gathering at Seneca One brought together students, educators and community partners to reflect on the organization’s work and its next steps. It also recognized Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes for helping bring Say Yes to Buffalo and supporting its growth.
Rust pointed to increases in high school graduation, postsecondary enrollment and completion as signs of progress, while acknowledging that students still face barriers.
“There's work left to do, but the evidence and outcomes are strong and show that this has been a really good strategy and an important one for our city and our region,” Rust told BTPM News.
Among the organization’s priorities are hiring postsecondary success counselors and strengthening career advising. Rust said the additional support would help students navigate challenges such as transportation, academic difficulties and finding work.
During the address, he described that effort as protecting the investment already made in students’ scholarships.
For Angelee Pabon, a 19-year-old political science student at Canisius University, Say Yes helped broaden her understanding of the opportunities available to her.
“I started navigating different career paths, and I got very involved in political science and advocating for people,” Pabon said.
Pabon, who participated in the event’s student panel, said mentorship also helped her develop confidence and an interest in sharing the stories of people in her community.
“Say Yes is more than just a scholarship or a path to show you what college to choose after graduating high school,” she said. “It really does provide a lot of open doors to networking with other people that can help you in your career.”
Peoples-Stokes said those experiences reflect the purpose of her investment in the organization. She recalled working with investors and helping build government support to bring Say Yes to Buffalo.
“The results of the investment that we put in is exactly the kind of work that I like to do,” she said. “I don't necessarily want to be at the press conference, and I don't want to take credit for anything; I just want to see results.”
Say Yes is also working toward a $20 million scholarship endowment for Niagara Falls. Rust said fundraising is about a quarter of the way toward that goal. Community-school, mentoring and workforce programming is already underway there, but a scholarship launch date has not been announced.
The organization’s partnership with Buffalo Public Schools was another focus of the event. Asked afterward about the district’s proposed school closures and consolidations, Rust endorsed its approach, citing enrollment and financial pressures.
“I think the school district is making hard decisions, and I commend them for that,” he said. “Nobody wants to see their schools close.”
Rust voiced support for interim Superintendent Ebony Prophet-Bullock, describing her plan as thoughtful while acknowledging that not everyone would welcome the changes.
“We all acknowledge not everyone is going to be happy with this, but I commend them for making hard decisions that are probably overdue,” he said.
For Say Yes, Rust said the coming year’s priorities include further progress on the Niagara Falls endowment and putting its new student support team in place. By the next State of Say Yes address, he hopes to have early data showing how that team is helping students move toward graduation.
