New York’s Former First Lady Meets with Students to Officially Re-launch Program

Teachers, administrators and others in the Elmsford Union Free School District hosted former first lady of New York, Matilda Raffa Cuomo, during a special half-day event May 12 to mark the re-launching of the New York State Mentoring Program, an initiative she founded in 1982.

Since her son, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, revived it in 2015, it has been growing in schools across the state.

In 2017, the district partnered with the Greenburgh-based William L. Carter Foundation to host its own one-to-one mentoring program, the first of its kind in Westchester County, based on Mrs. Cuomo’s initiative.

Students from the Alice E. Grady Elementary School and from Alexander Hamilton Jr./Sr. High School have been benefiting from this unique opportunity, which allows the older students to act as the mentors.

Mrs. Cuomo met with 12 AHHS mentors and 13 Grady mentees and shared stories about the program’s beginnings, her vision for the newly revived initiative and her own personal accounts of mentoring a student.

The Elmsford mentors and mentees had a chance to speak with Mrs. Cuomo, ask questions and take pictures. AHHS Principal Dr. Marc Baiocco said, "Mrs. Cuomo's visit was inspirational. Her stories gave the mentors insight into the impact they can have on their mentees’ lives.