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High Turnout for First Stern STATE Bags “Bag Drop” Event2 min read

Doris Lo, MBA Class of 2016

STATE3For the first time this fall, newly matriculated Stern students participated in a STATE Bags “Bag Drop” at the KIPP Infinity Charter School in Harlem, as part of LAUNCH, the week-long student orientation for the incoming full-time MBA class. The event was part of a larger LAUNCH Day of Service organized by the SGov Community Service Committee, where over 125 students volunteered across four different events around the city.

The Bag Drop, a motivational rally that delivers a new STATE bag to middle schoolers for the upcoming school year, was led by over 50 Stern students and STATE Bags Packmen and Packwomen. Over 500 backpacks, filled with school essentials and healthy snacks funded by the MBA2 class, were delivered to children that live in Harlem and Washington Heights. STATE Bags – a Brooklyn-based organization committed to providing kids with the tools to reach their fullest potential – donated the backpacks, one for each bag purchased by Stern for new MBA students. Stern volunteers were there to hand out backpacks and motivate the children for the upcoming school year and their future.

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The high-energy, motivational rally featured its own DJ (DJ FAME), and inspirational stories from Packmen and Packwomen, who are experienced child development specialists, many of whom grew up in at-risk neighborhoods themselves. Mike Costanza, an MBA1 who volunteered, describes the lively interaction with the students: “Sternies found themselves doing the “Whip and Nae Nae” with students from KIPP…Many Sternies spoke with the kids, talked about their favorite video games, favorite Spider Man scenes and what they wanted to be when they grew up. It was this interaction with these kids that really made it enriching.  I think that the KIPP students didn’t expect to have such a fun time; they walked in the auditorium seemingly nervous and left laughing and high-fiving each other.”

The event was also considered a success for Stern because of the history of STATE Bags and Stern. Hosting a Bag Drop with STATE Bags has been a goal for the Community Service Committee since 2014 when Joe Ciraulo (Stern ’15) helped initiate the relationship. The Committee is proud to formalize a partnership with STATE Bags as part of the LAUNCH Day of Service, and hopes the relationship continues to strengthen in the coming years.

The Bag Drop rally was met with positive feedback from the incoming MBA1s. Allison Hung, an MBA1 who volunteered at the rally, stated, “It was a really great event that allowed us to meet Sternies outside of our Blocks. A lot of us shared a passion for children and education.” Eric Goodman, who also volunteered, noted: “At the end of the event, Scot (STATE’s co-founder, along with his wife) told the group that he had never had so many volunteers at one Bag Drop event. I think that really speaks to, and hopefully continues to speak to, the community orientation of our MBA class.”

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