Antonio
Aponte was born on the Lower
East Side of New York City to parents
from Vega Baja and Dorado, Puerto Rico.
He attended Moses Brown Prep School in
Providence, Rhode Island through the Boy’s
Club of New York and the A Better Chance
program. He graduated Syracuse University
with a B.S. in Theater/Psychology. He
is presently pursuing his Master’s
degree in Non-Profit Management.
Upon
graduation from Syracuse, Antonio pursued
a career in Theater, and in 1986 achieved
fame in the Broadway hit "Cuba and
his Teddy Bear ", opposite Robert
DeNiro, Burt Young, and Ralph Macchio.
In 1988 he left theater to become the
Assistant Director of Multicultural Recruitment
and Retention at SUNY Purchase College
where he created the Multicultural Access
Program, (MAP). During his tenure at Purchase
College from 1988 to 1996 the minority
enrollment increased from 14.4% to 24.7%.
But his involvement was not limited to
admissions. He also served as an adjunct
faculty member in the Drama Studies program;
as advisor to various student organizations;
administered the Empire Minority Scholarship;
and assisted in the selection of students
to the Melville Scholars program.
In
1996, Antonio decided to move closer to
his roots, ( NYC ) by becoming the Director
of College Placement at Project Reach
Youth in Brooklyn, N.Y. where he was instrumental
in the college placement of 50 seniors
through the Miracle-Gro Scholarship Program
funded by the Hagedorn Family Foundation.
In September 2000, he became the Director
of Student Recruitment at Lehman College
of the City University of New York in
the Bronx, where he was responsible for
enrollment and marketing. He is presently
the Director of Independent School Placement
& College Bound Programs for The Boy's
Club of New York.