Maya McFadden Photo
Aly: "The goal is to make sure that every student, no matter where they live in the city, has the chance to earn career skills and build a strong future."
A month into his new role as a student representative on the Board of Education, Hill Regional Career High School rising junior Abdellah Aly is pushing the district to introduce new opportunities for career certifications — including pathways for aspiring pharmacy techs, electrocardiography technicians, and phlebotomists.
Aly provided that update to the Independent during an interview about his work to to keep the community informed on his promises to make classrooms more engaging and to introduce more college and career opportunities for public school students. Click here to read more about what he’s looking to accomplish as detailed when he was sworn in for his two-year term.
While Aly and fellow school board student representative Jonaily Colón of High School in the Community don’t have voting power on the board, Aly said through collaboration with district and community leaders, he plans to make student voices and needs heard.
Aly said he has already had several conversations with central office staffers about how to give students better access to job-ready certification. He said he’s working with the district’s college and career team to support potential new certification programs for aspiring pharmacy technicians in partnership with Gateway Community College; for electrocardiography technicians; and for phlebotomists, through Excel Academy.
“These programs will help students leave high school with more than just a diploma — they’ll also have real credentials that can help them get a job in the healthcare field right away,” Aly said in an email to the Independent.
Aly said he hopes to next help guide the district in selecting business certification programming that informs students about how to start a business, about entrepreneurial management, and about general financial skills.
The goal, Aly said, is for New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) to have ample college and career opportunities for middle and high schoolers to be introduced to new skills and get ahead on securing their dream jobs soon after high school.
Colón told the Independent in a separate interview Wednesday that her participation in HSC’s partnership with Gateway did just that for her. As a result of taking a criminal justice course at Gateway, she’s since discovered her interest in possibly majoring in criminology. “At first I didn’t know I was interested in it until taking the class,” she said. She agreed that expanding NHPS’ college and career pathways will put students at an advantage and expose them to new opportunities they otherwise may not have had.
NHPS currently has CNA and EMT programs for high schoolers to get base-level instruction and credit for healthcare career requirements. Aly participated in the CNA program in partnership with Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) during the 2024 – 25 school year. “The goal is to make sure that every student, no matter where they live in the city, has the chance to earn career skills and build a strong future,” Aly said.
Aly said beyond just bringing new programs to New Haven students, he hopes to demonstrate to his peers what student leadership can look like and encourage others to demand their voices and ideas be included in district decision-making.
Aly will join a district meeting regarding the implementation of the three new programs for pharmacy tech, EKG, and phlebotomy at the end of August. He hopes for the programs to be introduced this spring, and hopes to join those programs to evaluate their impact on students and staff. “The best feedback is student-to-student contact,” he said.
“We will also bring this during the summer with the choice of evening and morning courses should the student count be high,” Aly added.
Increasing the district’s college and career pathway opportunities, Aly said, “will help those in high school, especially ones facing poverty, debt from college or other circumstances.”
Aly said there are ongoing conversations about how more of this programming can also be brought to middle schoolers.
“As programs like these roll out with the grant we got from the federal government last year, receive feedback and estimation from the programs and see about future suggestions, we will in fact expand New Haven, and make sure that every student gets their education, their on-the-job-market experience and their economic status grown. The more we give out to our students the better, and that is what I am hoping,” he concluded.
Aly also sent the Independent the following statement as a message he’d like to send directly to the community about his work on the school board: “To my students, teachers, colleagues, and the public who depend on NHPS for education, My mission is to make sure that students in New Haven Public Schools not only receive the education they deserve, one that’s tailored to their future, but also that they leave our system without the burden of debt. With federal support like the $7,000 non-returnable grant for low-income students possibly going away, we need to act now. Students should be able to afford college or job training without relying on luck or debt. This is the first step of many. I’ve already begun building what should have existed long before I stepped into this role. From healthcare certifications to future business pathways, I’m focused on creating real options for students to succeed, both in and beyond the classroom.”