A dedication to equality in education

Fifteen-year-old Paul Ngu knows the value of an education.

Three years ago, he came to Syosset with his family, who settled there after searching for a great school district.

And he knows that not everyone is given the same educational opportunities. So Ngu chose to write about those disparities in a 12-page paper that explores how race and class affect education in a region where the opportunity gap between rich and poor students has -- thus far -- been insurmountable.

"While my school district is fortunate in that it does not face many of the learning obstacles and challenges that prevent its students from academically succeeding," he wrote, "it does not offer me the excuse of avoiding the issue of educational disparities . . . ."

That paper won Ngu top honors Friday at the Long Island Youth summit in Oakdale.

Why would a teenager, who goes to school in one of the wealthiest districts on Long Island, pick so volatile, so locally divisive and so relevant an issue?

His background offers one reason. Ngu was born in Malaysia and lived in California before moving to New York.

"As an immigrant, I know that people from around the world come to the United States because there is the opportunity for economic and social mobility," Ngu said in an interview.

He said that the differences between wealthy and poor districts in the region meant that "the opportunities for success and advancement in life may not be available for everyone."

Ngu's commitment to bridging that gap extends beyond a single research paper, however. He, with the help of a sister, looked for a way to help put his words into action.

He ended up volunteering as an intern at ERASE Racism, an organization that works for racial equity on Long Island. And he's planning a career -- although, he said, it's too early to decide just what -- working to ensure that children, no matter their parents' background, get a quality education.

No one at the youth summit at Dowling College knew of Ngu's background, nor of his deep commitment to making change on Long Island.

But during an almost two-hour workshop on race, class and education, which attracted more than two dozen students, Ngu found some potential allies. They were among 180 students from high schools in Nassau and Suffolk whose work on issues from race and the local economy to bullying and the environment earned them a coveted spot at the summit.

"We have opportunities, lots of opportunities at Wyandanch High School," Destiny Carter said early on in the workshop. "We have guidance counselors and teachers who are willing to help us, but not everybody takes up those opportunities."

She made the same point in a paper she had submitted for the summit: "In my community, there is good and bad; the good are those like me who aspire to achieve greatness, encourage others to be hopeful and work towards success," she wrote.

Ngu would say later that he was not surprised to hear Carter's sentiment. Or comments from other students, who said their school lacked enough resources, including books. Ngu said he's talked to students in districts like Wyandanch during school sporting events.

"They told me about things that I don't even have to think about during my school day," he said. That included walking through metal detectors and trying to learn in crowded classrooms, he said.

Nathalia Rodgers, a Dowling professor who is co-chair of the summit, said Ngu impressed judges by citing programs from magnet schools in Nevada to tax-base sharing in Minnesota that might be replicated on Long Island.

Ngu also impressed his mother, Doreen, who drove him to the summit, where most other students were accompanied by teachers.

"He has a passion," she said.

That he does.