My reporting beat at the Columbia Journalism School was Long Island City, an up-and-coming neighborhood in Queens, New York. Gentrification brought about the loss of long-standing businesses, but also the beginnings of new ones to feed the tastes of newer audiences. One such audience were parents, who were happy to be in a new neighborhood only three stops away from Grand Central station. However, when it came to picking a school for their child, there were little options to choose from.

So, the Gantry Parent Association (GPA) was born on October 2015. Check out my conversation with Meghan Cirrito to learn more about the issues parents face in school selection in a new neighborhood as well as what they seek to advocate for themselves and their children.

This conversation was recorded on an iPhone 6s and edited using Adobe Audition.