A good education is essential. A great education is what Shawn Turner and his wife were looking for when they moved back to Rochester from Florida in 2021. Shawn is an Urban-Suburban Program graduate from the West Irondequoit Central School District, and he wanted his daughters to have the same kind of experience he did. Spoiler alert: they’re on their way. 

Shawn’s journey with Urban-Suburban started in the late 90s. His older siblings were all going to city schools at the time, but his cousins had just gotten into Brighton Schools through U-S. Shawn’s mother wanted to give the Program a try and see how Shawn would do. She applied, and he started at West Irondequoit in fifth grade. 

“Initially, I wanted to follow where my older siblings were going. Just because it was natural for me,” Shawn said. “But once I was exposed to some things that I just wouldn't have been exposed to, I realized pretty early on that it's a special program, and I would have access to people and to things that I just wouldn't have access to in my normal life.” 

Shawn built lasting relationships with students and staff at West Irondequoit who helped him to think beyond what he thought was possible for his future. 

“As a result, I ended up going to college. I own and run a tax and accounting firm. I also own and run a construction company. And I don't know that I wouldn't have done those things, but I know that Urban-Suburban is a very integral part of who I am, and it allowed me to be where I am today.” 

Fast forward to today: Shawn’s daughters, Ava and Nova, are following in his footsteps. Nova is at West Irondequoit, just like her dad, and Ava is in the East Irondequoit Central School District. 

“When we moved back from Florida, we wanted to be closer to family. But the move wasn’t going to happen unless we knew the girls could get the same level of education they had in Miami,” Shawn shared. 

The family applied to Urban-Suburban, waited, reapplied, and waited again. Eventually, Nova got into kindergarten at West Irondequoit. A year later, Ava was able to leave the private school she was attending and start eighth grade at East Irondequoit.  

“She’s made great friends already, and I know those connections will keep growing,” Shawn said. “This program gave me so much. I wanted my kids to have that too.” 

Through his experiences, Shawn has learned a lot—and he has some advice for both alumni and current students. 

For alumni: “I think it's important for people like myself and others who have gone through the program and have benefited from the program to come and pour back into the program so people understand that it is important.” Take Shawn and his daughter Ava, for example—they’ve graciously shared their stories for the Urban-Suburban 60th Anniversary celebration! 

For students: “Get involved and make friends. Friends that don't look like you, friends that don't talk like you, friends that have different religious backgrounds and political affiliations. Just make friends. My real estate attorney is someone who I went to high school with, my realtor is someone I went to high school with, a couple of my partners and clients, my roofer. So, you know, join, make friends, get involved, and have fun.”