Thank you for an incredible night!
Pictures coming soon.....
Date: Saturday, March 11, 2023
Time: 6:30 PM
Venue: Glen Island Harbour Club
50 Glen Island Park, New Rochelle, NY 10805
Gala 2023 Honorees
FASNY Alumnae
Gabrielle DiBuono
Gabrielle DiBuono is the head of HR for Lazard Financial Advisory North America, where she and her team oversee all aspects of people operations (recruiting, compensation, employee engagement, training & development…) for about 1000 employees. Prior to joining Lazard in 2016, she worked in various recruiting roles at Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse. Gabrielle graduated from Fordham University summa cum laude.
In addition to her role in HR, Gabrielle sits on the steering committee for Lazard’s Foundation.
Ellie Foumbi
Ellie Foumbi is an award-winning Cameroonian-American filmmaker whose debut film, Our Father, the Devil, went on to win 17 prizes at international film festivals and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award in the Best Feature category. She's a BAFTA Breakthrough USA Fellow and was named one of 25 New Faces of Independent Film by Filmmaker Magazine. Her projects have been supported by The Gotham, Film Independent, the Tribeca Film Institute, SFFILM Rainin Grant, and the Venice Biennale College. Ellie’s stories often explore pressing social-political issues within the African diaspora, aiming to shine a light on marginalized populations whose voices are seldom heard or included.
Penda Sarr
Penda Sarr is a manager in the philanthropic department at Sesame Workshop, the organization behind Sesame Street. In this role, she helps support all international philanthropic development and project management activities; she is also responsible for cultivating partnerships with foundations, governments, and other international organizations. Her previous roles have included leading programs focused on empowering adolescent girls in Africa and Latin America at the Global Fund for Children and supporting global projects that empower women and help achieve gender equality at UNICEF.
Penda holds an Honors Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto and a Master of Arts from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University. Besides her experience in international development, Penda is also a digital content creator, focused on fashion and beauty.
Penda is originally from Senegal, but considers herself a third culture individual, as she’s grown up in places such as South Africa, Lebanon, and Canada.
Joumana Karnaby
My name is Joumana Karnaby. My husband Ziad and I are both Lebanese.
We have two girls: Milana in Kindergarten and Alaya in Nursery. I was born in the United States, however, spent most of my life in Lebanon. I studied pharmacy at the Lebanese American University in Beirut and later received my master’s in business administration (MBA) in Phoenix, Arizona where I worked in retail pharmacy for several years. In 2016, I moved to New York where I worked in the pharmaceutical industry before having my children.
Last year, I started volunteering at FASNY through International Night and found that planning and organizing is something I love to do. I am so excited to co-chair the gala this year and I hope to make the event a memorable experience for everyone.
Denise Santis
My name is Denise Santis. I was born and raised in Montréal, Canada. My husband Teddy and I are both Greek, and we have two beautiful children, Anastasia (Kindergarten) and George (17 months). We currently live in Larchmont.
I studied law at Université de Montréal where I completed my Juris Doctor, and worked as an attorney in corporate and intellectual property law before I married my husband and moved to New York.
I now enjoy dedicating my time to support my family and since becoming a member of the FASNY community last year, I was eager to get involved and volunteer. I am really excited to co-chair the gala this year with Joumana and we hope to make it a memorable night!
INTRODUCING OUR GALA 2023 CO-CHAIRS
It gives us both great pleasure to co-chair the 2023 Gala in order to come together for yet another year to celebrate and honor our FASNY community.
The Gala is our school’s biggest fundraising event, with the proceeds funding and facilitating important and relevant mission-driven projects that enhance our children’s experience and education. The funds raised also greatly help further FASNY’s tradition of providing students from various economic backgrounds the opportunity to join the school and benefit from the education and rich culture that FASNY has to offer.
We are thrilled to co-chair this amazing event and cannot wait to come together, United in our Diversity, for an unforgettable masquerade ball full of fun and dancing for the benefit of our FASNY community!
Where do the funds go?
Financial Aid
Financial aid provides access to a FASNY education for families who would otherwise not be able to afford it. Your gift makes it possible for qualified children to participate in our multicultural
community and reap the benefits of an exceptional FASNY education. Your donation will go towards the Olivia Tucker Scholarship Fund.
Enrichment
At the core of FASNY is our legacy of academic excellence. Gala funding allows teachers to create innovative course offerings that provide every student with opportunities to learn and grow.
In addition, we can offer specialists and guest speakers to enhance the curriculum as well as life skills classes and prevention programs for older students.
Athletics and Extracurricular Programs
Gala funding helps provide a wide offering of athletic, cultural and after school programs for all levels, alloweing students to particiaipate in various activities and help nuture their talents and passions.
Programs include inter-scholastic sports to field maintenance, field trips to museums and operas as well as middle and high school clubs are subsidized by your donations. Participation in American Young Voices, Rock Band, the Art Option, school musicals and more are all enhanced by giving.
Updated Tech and Professional Development
Funding allows every FASNY teacher to engage in meaningful and ongoing training and coaching, helping them enhance the classroom experience for every student.
From iPads to Chromebooks to Smartboards and more, your gift keeps tech current from N to 12th.
