Jayné Godette graduated from Bloomingdale in 2000, and was a frequent attendee at our annual Alumni Reunions. She went to Manhattan School for Children (P.S. 333) for elementary and middle school, and to Urban Assembly School for the Performing Arts for high school. She left NYC for college, going north to The University of Rochester where she majored in International Relations and went on to get her Master’s Degree in Public Administration at SUNY Binghamton. She was selected to be a NYS Excelsior Fellow after graduation and worked for the state for two years. She is now Assistant Director of Student Activities at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where she advises student clubs and plans activities. Her daughter Celeste was born in 2023.
In the 3s she was in Laura Solano and Maria Acuria’s classroom at the 109th Street site. In the 4s she was at the Columbus Avenue site with Candace Lynch and Brenda Soriano. As you will see in the slideshow, she loved the toy dinosaurs. Brenda recalls her kind and friendly spirit, and her love of the “Baby Beluga” song. She remembers the young volunteers from Jumpstart that worked in our classrooms and her One to One sessions with Cindi Conti. Cindi recalls, ‘Jayne was a very bright and sweet 4-year-old girl who taught herself how to read in Pre-K. I remember realizing one day when she read something posted on the classroom wall. Jayne’s smile and intelligence could light up the room!’
Jayne hopes to visit all 7 continents and she is well on the way with a visit to Australia last month where she held a koala! Her other dreams are to continue working in higher education, own her home, and leave a legacy that makes her family proud. She says, “I’m a huge believer in luck and making lemonade out of lemons. I think that everything happens for a reason and always try to put my best foot forward.”
In 2017, Jayné’s graduation cap said, “The Best is Yet to Come, Carpe Diem”. It is still true, and we look forward to seeing Jayné ‘Seize the Day’ !
