06/03/2026
Today, we’re excited congratulate David Pozo, a proud member of College Bound Class of 2022! Read his story below:
I began playing chess in 3rd grade at PS 226, where Chess in the Schools first came into my life. From the moment I sat down at the board, I was hooked. But it was Mr. Robert Romano, the program coordinator, who truly changed something in me. He didn’t just teach me the game, he pushed me to take it seriously, to compete, and to believe I was capable of more than I imagined. Those early tournament days, grinding through round after round, built a foundation I didn’t fully understand until much later.
That spark carried me into middle school at PS 279, where I was lucky to find two more people who genuinely believed in me. My mentor Mr. Bogert and my chess coach Mr. Staso, a Chess in the Schools instructor who still shapes young players to this day, kept me growing both on and off the board. Chess gave me a space where hard work actually paid off, where thinking carefully and staying disciplined mattered. That lesson followed me everywhere.
CIS stayed with me through high school too, when I joined the College Bound program and it gave me so much more than chess. College readiness, career exploration, real mentorship, and a community that was genuinely rooting for me. As a first-generation, low-income student, that kind of support wasn’t just helpful. It was everything. The program helped me navigate a process that felt completely foreign and come out the other side.
That journey led me to Manhattan University, where I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and a minor in Computer Science. Chess, more than anything else, taught me how to think several moves ahead, to be patient, to read a situation carefully before acting. Those are exactly the skills I’m carrying into my next chapter.
Chess taught me that no matter how tough the position gets, there’s always a best move. CIS helped me find mine. The mentors, the tournaments, the community they built around me, none of that goes away. Because of Chess in the Schools, chess isn’t just something I did growing up. It became a part of who I am.
