Newsday from New York, New York • 32

ir I Phone Items to (718) 575-2550 Fax (718) 7936422 QUEENS CLOSEUP Nothing Succeeds Like Success help them see that there is a tomorrow they have to prepare for. grade when he came to New York in 1983. Although he did well in bilingual classes, hie attendance and grades suffered when he was trans- LONG ISLAND CITY Getting to the Point State Urban Development Corporation chairman Vincent Tese told a group of Long Island City business executives last week the UDC could not commit itself to any of the local amenities that residents are clamoring for as part of the Hunters Point prqject until a developer is selected, and a list of costs compiled. And those actions, said Tese, might not come until sometime in early fall, after the prqject has receives approval, which is expected at the Board of Estimates final session in August. Speaking at the monthly breakfast meeting of the Long Island City Business Development Corporation, Tese responded to many local business owners questions about the projects future.

When we cut a deal with the developer, we will take some of the developers profit and use it to subsidize housing but we dont know those numbers yet, said Tese. One of the most controversial requests from the community has been for at least 20 percent of the projects market-rate housing to be set aside as subsidized units for elderly residents. Tese added that he would also not be surprised if the projects timetable became snarled in lawsuits, the way the 42nd Street redevelopment prqject has been. I imagine there will be several lawsuits, Tese said, adding that one of UDCs firgt steps condemning the Long Island City waterfront land would not be taken for at least another year. Caryn EveMurray Citywide, there are about 200 students from nine high schools participating in Operation Success.

The program made me see that I already had a lot of problems, and that I was in a deep hole, and if I didnt change, I would end up in the street or eventually in jail, Graves said. For Graves, a father of two who transferred from Brooklyn Tech to Eastern District as a junior with ony two credits, music and history, a case managers persistence paid off. She was pushy, Chaves said of Monica Adams who had seen Graves records and was curious how a ptu-' 'dent who spent so much time out of school could get a 98 in history. When I returned to school and enrolled in Operation Success, she followed me. I mean everywhere she was there.

The would-be rap artist nicknamed Rooftop said eventually he reaped the benefits of her dogged style. I took nine classes a day without lunch, four night classes and completed four years of high school in two years me with my two credits, a success," Graves said. And I wont lie. It feels good. After three semesters in the schools English and Business departments, Graves graduated with an 80 average.

Graves is now finishing his first year at Brooklyn College at night, where he is majoring in secondary education and history. During the day, hd works aa a security guard. Rooftop died and the paeon that is left is Rufus Graves a sensitive person who thinks of his family and education first, Graves said. The lack of English skills and friends made transition from China to New York difficult for Shing Fung Wong. He was 18 and in the 10th By Edna Negron For Rufus Graves HI, graduate of Eastern District High School, it was the illusion of a career as a rap star.

For Sherry Lyman, graduate of Far Rockaway High School, it'was the pressure of taking care of her siblings and a preference for hanging out with friends. And for Shing Fung Wong; a former student of Seward Park High School, it was the isolation of being a newcomer to this country. About three years ago, these were some of the problems that led Graves, Lyman, and Wong to become chronic truants who failed most of their classes and were prime candidates for dropping out Then, school was a waste of my time because all I needed to do was rap, and I would make millions, Graves recalled last week after he addressed an audience of parents, peers and educators at Board of Education headquarters. Today, the visum of theJuture for Graves and the other two students has changed substantially. Graves completed four years of high school in two years, Lyman is completing her second year in college, and Wong is studying to be an auto mechanic.

The trio were among 10 students honored for overcoming enormous odds and demonstrating a determination to remain in school. The students accomplished such feats with the help of Operation Success, an educational support program. The program is a partnership between the Board of Education and the Federation Employment and Guidance Service. Its case managers nnfl counselors iwnriiW t.lm individual needs and custom tailor students program. Willair site supervisor, said Operation Success positive results take several years of intervention.

SL-V3 said the program aims to show students alternatives, give them a positive sense of self, and to Laborers at work ferred to classes taught in English for students for whom it is their second language; Shing was referred to Seward Park. Academy and Operation Success. Truancy continued for awhile, and Wong worked 13 hours a day in the garment business until he enrolled in a skills training program to manufacture jewelry. Continued visits by Operation Success staff helped Wong identify abilities in math and art. He passed his academic courses in February with only one absence.

He wants to study auto mechanics. Lyman was first referred to the program as an eighth-grade truant from IS 53 in Far Rockaway in 1985. The root of Lymans problems was severly disruptive home life. She took care of five brothers and sisters. I told them that my family was having problems, and I needed to stay home and help' out," she said.

This was true, but staying at home became much more fun hanging out with my friends who were cutting school After a lengthy process, counselors at Operation Success arranged for Lyman to move out of her home, with her parents permission, to live with her pastors family. She returned to school as a sophomore at Far Rockaway High School. With an independent study course, Lyman earned additional credits from community internships and graduated in June. She is now in hear second year at Nyack Community College where she is studying to become a teacher. They helped me realize that I was someone; and that I could make it, Lyman said.

"They didnt give up on me so easily, the way I gave up on myself. Fewnhy BScheid Lee BREEZY POINT Free Ferry to Manhattan The Metro Marine Express, a highspeed commuter ferry that runs daily from In wood in Nassau County to Manhattan, with a stop at Breezy Point on the Rockaway peninsula, will run free round trips tomorrow. The ferry, which began running in April, makes stops at Wall Street and at East 34th Street in Manhattan. The 110-foot boat completes the trip in about an hour. For information about schedules, call the ferry service at (212) 785-3100.

FOREST HILLS Gold Joins Minority Force State Sen. Emanuel Gold (D-Foreet Hills) has been named to the newly formed Senate Democratic Puerto Rican and Hispanic Task Force. This task force will enable lawmakers to take a more active role in identifying and responding to critical problems facing our states Puerto Rican and Hispanic communities, Gold said in a written statement. He added, It is our responsibility, as legislators, to see that the needs and concerns of these citizens are given the government attention they deserve." The senate task force is expected to work with a similar assembly panel to address economic and social problems affecting Puerto Ricans and Hispanics statewide, according to GofcL Its Lonely at the Top high above the Tallman Island sewage plant in College Point I fiia.