2025 Benefit for Stuyvesant Recap & Photos
On Thursday, May 22, 2025, Tribeca Rooftop came alive as alumni from across the decades, along with parents, faculty, and friends, reunited to honor an extraordinary Stuy alum and celebrate the spirit of Stuyvesant at our unforgettable annual Benefit for Stuyvesant.
Thanks to your incredible support, we’re thrilled to share that we surpassed our goal—raising over $500,000 in our most successful benefit yet!
We awarded the “Golden Pegleg” to Richard R. Buery, Jr. ’88, CEO, Robin Hood. Rich has spent his career expanding access, equity, and opportunity for all New Yorkers—from universal Pre-K to college persistence, mental health, and economic empowerment.
Born to Panamanian immigrants and raised in East New York, Rich found in Stuyvesant not just an education, but a calling. His powerful words below are a reminder of why our shared mission matters—and why supporting the next generation of Stuy students is more important than ever.
I had the deep honor of receiving the Golden Pegleg Award from the Stuyvesant High School Alumni Association, Inc. Stuyvesant changed my life. I grew up in East New York, Brooklyn—the son of Panamanian immigrants who came to this country searching for the American Dream. I was fortunate to ride the subway each morning from a neighborhood where opportunity was scarce, to a school that opened doors for me. But that daily train ride revealed a painful truth: there were two very different New York Cities. And the kids I grew up with—just as smart, just as driven—weren’t given the same chances. That anger sparked purpose. And that purpose has shaped every chapter of my career: fighting for a New York where zip code is not destiny, and where opportunity belongs to everyone. I’m so grateful to the Stuy Fund, to the Class of ’88, to my incredible sons who cheered me on, and to Diego Segalini for his leadership. At a time when diversity, equity, and inclusion are under attack, I’ll continue to speak out—for students who are told they don’t belong, and for communities who deserve more than what they’ve been given. Because Stuyvesant didn’t just offer me a great education. It gave me a calling.—Richard R. Buery, Jr. ’88
2025 Benefit for Stuyvesant Program
ReadPlease click on the Program link to learn more about our event and honorees.
The Golden Pegleg was created completely at Stuyvesant. Bill Ni ’19 designed the award for the first Benefit in 2019 and each year the individual awards are 3D-printed in the Irwin Zahn ’44 Innovation Lab.
We’ll be saving you a spot at next year’s celebration!
Many thanks to Travis W Keyes Photography!
Please remember to credit our photographer if using any of the above photos. On Social Media credit when posting to IG is @TWKEYES and for FB to Travis Keyes and all other forms credited to Travis W Keyes Photography.