Tyla Dowery’s story with CARA started during her senior year at Taft Educational Campus, where she became a Youth Leader with the Right to College (RTC) program. After graduating, she went on to Syracuse University but the transition was challenging. Tyla decided to return home after freshman year to refocus. Now enrolled at Bronx Community College, she’s using this time to reset and prepare to head back to Syracuse in fall 2025. In the meantime, we’re thrilled to have her back as an RTC intern and to support her as she works on her next steps. We caught up with Tyla to learn more about her story, what inspires her, and her goals for the future.
Tell us about how you first got involved with CARA.
During my senior year at Taft, I was already doing peer mentorship with freshmen through a program called Peer Group Connection, but joining RtC took things to a whole new level. It wasn’t just about having a leader role which was important to me—it was about being the middle person helping my classmates figure out their next steps after high school. That’s when I realized how much I love helping people and that I wanted to work in education.
What made you decide to return home for college, and how has it shaped your path forward?
My first year at Syracuse college was a lot. I’d been doing so much during high school—Youth Leader, clubs, applying to college—I feel like I just burnt out by the time I got to college. Leaving Syracuse for a year was a tough decision, but after getting guidance from people like my old supervisor at Taft, I knew I needed time to get myself together, figure out my goals, and re-center. I decided to transfer to Bronx Community College to stay close to home and gain perspective. But I am ready to work towards returning to Syracuse in fall 2025.
What excites you about rejoining CARA, now as an intern?
It honestly feels like coming home. Now I get to see all the behind-the-scenes work that makes RtC happen. It’s wild to think I was a Youth Leader not that long ago, and now I’m here supporting the work. It means a lot to me that CARA welcomed me back during this transitional period and is here to support me as I figure out my next steps.
How has your experience as a Youth Leader influenced your role as an intern?
It taught me so much—how to organize, lead, and really connect with people. I remember what it was like to be in their shoes, balancing school and everything else. I’m currently working on data tracking and uploading resources for youth leaders, but what excites me the most is being a part of the RtC team and serving as a representative of students since I was just there not too long ago.
What do you hope to gain from this internship, and how do you see it shaping your future?
I’m looking forward to growing as a professional—building my network, gaining new skills, and seeing education from a different perspective. Whether I become a teacher or work in another area of education, I know this experience will give me the foundation I need to succeed.