In April 2012, Medaille announced the creation of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Change at Riverside High School in the Buffalo Public School District. This initiative is part of ongoing community efforts focused on revitalizing the Riverside-Black Rock area, including work by Buffalo Public Schools and the Northwest Buffalo Community Center.

In 2010, Medaille began an initiative with Buffalo Public Schools that follows freshmen at Riverside High School through their senior year. Divided into learning academies, students can choose tracks in healthcare, finance, or entrepreneurship. With instructional support from Medaille, students within the entrepreneurship program are participating in specially designed activities that complement their regular classroom learning.

Medaille Center for Entrepreneurship and Change

The Medaille Center for Entrepreneurship and Change will provide the following opportunities for Riverside students:

• Academy for Creativity and Entrepreneurship
• Support for Entrepreneurship Academy classes and advisement seminar classes
• Entrepreneurship Club  
• Financial Literacy Workshops for students and Riverside-Black Rock community
• General mentoring and academic coaching during the school year
• FAFSA assistance for high school students and families
• Summer youth job search assistance

Scholarship Funding - A Promise to Riverside Students

As part of its commitment to the success of students at Riverside High School, Medaille will commit $450,000 in scholarship funds each year to graduating students to attend Medaille. This funding will begin when Riverside’s current sophomore class graduates in 2014, and will continue indefinitely.

This is the class that Medaille has been working with in Riverside High School since September 2010, when the college first began its partnership with BPS.

In addition, Medaille will offer a four-year scholarship for one student at Riverside High School who will be starting at Medaille in fall 2012.

Transforming a Neighborhood 

Hear Amber M. Dixon, a Medaille graduate and interim superintendent of Buffalo Public Schools, speak to community leaders and supporters of the Riverside-Black Rock neighborhood at a celebration within Riverside High School on April 19, 2012.