LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commending Leslie Robbins upon the occasion of
her retirement after 35 years of distinguished service to the Riverside
Learning Center

WHEREAS, This Legislative Body seeks to acknowledge those individuals
whose professional lives and civic endeavors serve to enhance the stat-
ure of the State of New York; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to commend Leslie
Robbins upon the occasion of her retirement after 35 years of distin-
guished service to The Riverside Learning Center to be celebrated with a
party held in her honor on Sunday, December 21, 2014; and
WHEREAS, In 1979, The Riverside Language Program offered the first
free, intensive English classes for newly-arrived refugees and immi-
grants in New York and began a program that has launched new lives for
nearly 50,000 students and their families; and
WHEREAS, From the beginning, the mission of The Riverside Language
Program has been to provide free English language classes for immigrants
from around the world and to help them learn about American culture; and
WHEREAS, Within this context, Riverside trains and develops master
teachers and advocates for the students and the profession to which they
belong; this mission has made the Riverside Language Program unique; and
WHEREAS, Students from all over the world sit next to one another in
class; they not only learn English, they also learn respect for other
cultures and tolerance for different ideas; and
WHEREAS, Leslie Robbins and her business partner believe that the
instructors in their program should be trained teachers of English for
Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL); all members of the instructional
staff have at least a master's degree and many of the teachers have been
at the school almost since its inception; and
WHEREAS, Leslie Robbins has been honored by the Literacy Assistance
Center for her work, as have several members of her staff; in 2012, one
Riverside teacher was named a NEW YORK TIMES Teacher of the Year
runner-up; and
WHEREAS, Born and raised in New York City, Leslie Robbins is a product
of the New York City public school system; and
WHEREAS, She earned both her bachelor's degree and a master's degree
at NYU; in addition, she received another master's degree from Columbia
University and her certification from the Business School at Columbia
for Not-For-Profit Management; and
WHEREAS, Before The Riverside Language Program, Leslie Robbins was an
editor with Oxford University Press and Bobbs-Merrill; her interest in
language acquisition led her to work with communicating with dolphins at
the Kewalo Basin Marine Mammal Laboratory in Honolulu one summer; and
WHEREAS, Leslie Robbins has made it her life's work to help newly
arrived refugees and immigrants find a safe harbor where they feel
welcomed, learn English and begin a new life; and
WHEREAS, Her students from more than 75 countries have joined the
labor force in New York and other cities in the United States, bringing
their expertise and contributing to the diversity of our nation; and
WHEREAS, These students are doctors, engineers, scientists and even
ESOL teachers; the ripple effect of the extraordinary work Leslie
Robbins and the Riverside Learning Center have done is felt all over our
State and Nation; and
WHEREAS, For the past 35 years, Leslie Robbins rendered faithful,
conscientious and valuable service to the Riverside Learning Center and
those it serves; and

WHEREAS, Governed by a keen sense of duty and always showing a unique
grasp of human problems, Leslie Robbins served with loyalty, honor and
distinction; and
WHEREAS, During her tenure, Leslie Robbins earned the admiration,
esteem and affection of her colleagues; and
WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body that those who
enhance the quality of life in their community and have shown a long and
sustained commitment to the maintenance of high standards in their
profession, certainly have earned the recognition and applause of all
the citizens of this great Empire State; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commend Leslie Robbins upon the occasion of her retirement after 35
years of distinguished service to the Riverside Learning Center; and be
it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Leslie Robbins.