July 06, 2026
By Rocky Talavedra, 2026 City Academy CAPS President
When I went looking for schools for my twins, Rohan and Laurena, I had a checklist that felt almost impossible to fulfill. I wanted my children to be challenged academically — not just to do well, but to be stretched. I wanted them to be in classrooms where curiosity is fed, where asking “why?” is encouraged, and where rigor isn’t a buzzword but a lived reality every single day.
City Academy was the only school in the region that met all of the things on my list. It felt like a place where my very unique family would not only fit, but flourish.
At City Academy, my twins saw Black excellence throughout the building. My son saw Black men as school leaders, teachers, and role models. My daughter saw strong, compassionate people who looked like her guiding the school, shaping its vision, and loving its students.
Like any meaningful relationship, there were hard conversations and moments of disagreement, but I never doubted this was the right place for my children.
This year, my babies — who are no longer babies but 12-year-old 6th-graders — are graduating. As I think about this transition, I also think about my own journey here. One of the last gifts I’ve been able to give back to this community is my time as President of the City Academy Parents board. In that role, I tried to bring programming and conversations to parents around issues they truly care about like transitions to secondary school and how to navigate the complex world our children are growing up in. My hope has always been that parents feel heard, informed, and empowered to be true partners with the school.
Because that’s what makes City Academy so important — not just to my family, but to the broader community.
City Academy makes a promise: that children in our city, regardless of ZIP code or income, will have access to an excellent education that honors who they are and who they can become. It is a place where rigor and joy coexist, where high expectations are paired with deep care, and where students learn that their voices matter.
When a school like City Academy thrives, the community thrives. Our students leave here believing they belong in honors classes, leadership roles, board rooms, laboratories, studios, and anywhere else their talents lead them. They carry with them not only strong academic preparation, but also a belief that they are capable, worthy, and powerful. That belief changes families. It certainly changed mine.
As my children prepare to step into their next chapter, I am filled with gratitude — for the teachers who saw them, for the friends who became family, and for a school that dared to believe that excellence and equity go hand-in-hand. City Academy has been more than a school for Laurena and Rohan; it has been a launching pad.
My hope is that families — current and future — continue to lean in, to ask questions, to show up, and to partner with this incredible community. Our children need us. Our school needs us. And our city needs places like City Academy, where possibility is not a slogan but a daily practice.
As tears roll down my face (someone must be cutting onions somewhere) I just want to say a parting thank you, City Academy, for being the right choice for our family all those years ago — back when my twins were still lap babies and I was just a mother with a checklist and a very big hope. You gave my children more than I knew how to ask for. And for that, I will always be grateful.