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Three Alumni Added To New Rochelle High School's Wall Of Fame

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. -- New Rochelle High School inducted three esteemed alumni to its Wall of Fame on Tuesday.

Jennifer Hyman, Dr. Anthony Bongo and Dr. Mark Lewis are the new inductees.

Jennifer Hyman, Dr. Anthony Bongo and Dr. Mark Lewis are the new inductees.

Photo Credit: contributed

The 2016 class of honorees include Jennifer Hyman, class of 1998; Dr. Mark Lewis, class of 1980; and Dr. Anthony Bongo, class of 1976. A ceremony at the high school introduced them and unveiled their portraits on the wall.

"The most important thing is that, this is a way to inspire our students," said NRHS Principal Reginald Richardson. In his four years, Richardson said this was the first public presentation the school has had for new Wall of Fame honorees.

Each of the three addressed the gathered crowd of family and community members.

"So much of my self confidence came from being in New Rochelle," said Hyman, who is the co-founder and CEO of Rent the Runway, a retail company that makes and offers rental options for designer dresses and accessories.

Last year, Hyman and her company arranged for prom dresses to be donated to NRHS seniors.

"The preparation that I got here was second to none," said Lewis, who is now the director of the Institute for Defense Analyses Science and Technology Policy Institute. Lewis earned both doctorate and master's degrees in aeronautics and astronautics, as well as a bachelor's in earth and planetary science from MIT.

From 2004 until 2008, he was the chief scientist for the United States Air Force.

"My path was a little awkward," Bongo said. He's now the principal of New Rochelle's Isaac E. Young Middle School.

Following his high school graduation, Bongo attended Westchester Community College for a short time, before working in the landscape and contracting industry. He later returned to school, graduating from Iona College in 1992 and the College of New Rochelle in 1994, before taking a job with the New York City Board of Education.

He later returned to New Rochelle as the assistant principal of IEYMS, and he became its principal in 2005. In 2011, he received his doctorate in education, in educational leadership, from Columbia University.

"I probably learned more from New Rochelle High School in the '70s than I did from Columbia," Bongo said.

The Wall of Fame is located in the House 2 Stack area.

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