March 11, 2024
Marshall Strawbridge’s most vivid early memory of his time at City Academy was attending the groundbreaking ceremony for the new building when he was in Kindergarten and later touring the new building and being in awe of how much space there was compared to the school’s previous home at Mathews-Dickey Boys’ and Girls’ Club.
“It was a very clear moment of excitement for the school and I think that at an early age it gave me a really strong affinity for the school, and impressed the school on my identity, that I still carry with me to this day,” Strawbridge said.
One class that Strawbridge feels made a measurable impact on his development was Mr. Erik Taylor’s science class where students embraced hands-on learning, building rockets and lunar rovers. After school, Strawbridge engulfed himself in the robotics club, tinkering with NXT Mindstorm Robotics kits to solve problems, as well as battle robots created by other classmates.
“The robotics club with Mr. Taylor is really where I developed a muscle for having a curiosity about learning and tackling challenging problems and really ‘nerding out’ over something that I cared about,” Strawbridge said.
Strawbridge learned to better advocate for himself when he did not understand something, because with City Academy’s small class sizes “there really wasn’t an option to skate by or fly under the radar.” This was particularly meaningful when he moved on to secondary school at The Fulton School at St. Albans and later at Manhattan College.
During a recent visit to City Academy over Thanksgiving, Strawbridge had the chance to meet with groups of students of all ages. And while he came away impressed by the top-of-the-line technology and the warm, inviting facilities, what blew him away was the students’ insightful questions and comments and the interactions he had with them in class.
“I think the most valuable thing that City Academy gives students is an appreciation for the process of learning,” Strawbridge said. “I think that comes from the wide array of opportunities to explore to help students find their thing — for me it was robotics, for another student it might be violin or becoming proficient in Spanish. But it’s the practice of pursuing an interest at that level of vigor that is important — even if students don’t go on to pursue a career in that field.”
During Strawbridge’s senior year of high school, connections with City Academy helped him discover an internship opportunity with the St. Louis Economic Development Corporation, which he says was one of the most “transformative educational experiences of my life and had a demonstrable impact on my career.”
Strawbridge currently works as the Director of Outreach for the Bronx Economic Development Corporation where he educates business owners throughout the region about all the advantages to be reaped by doing business in the Bronx.
In the future, Strawbridge hopes to complete a masters in Urban Planning and learn more about project development, city planning and zoning.