A group of students wrote letters to the leaders of the high schools they are leaving behind, and they were blunt. Despite attending different schools with different academic rigor and student populations, they focused on two themes: the racial makeup of their schools and inequity. 

"I remember a teacher saying he wouldn’t learn to say the correct pronunciation of my name and another one going as far as to call me an illegal refugee within school walls," said Yacine Fall who is Muslim, born and raised in Harlem. She attended Beacon High School in Manhattan. 

Her friend Haby Sondo said she was sorry her teachers did not tackle current events or cultural issues in the classroom.

"My whole four years though, I don’t think I’ve ever sat in a classroom and had a discussion about racism or issues permeating our society," she said. Her advice? Have those conversations at school. 

The girls met through a college-prep program called Sponsors for Educational Opportunity, where they participated in a project organized by The Bell, an education-focused podcast. They shared their letters at an April event held at the Bronx Library Center.