Thomas Volpe ’53 UrbanGlass Initiative Continues at Brooklyn Tech for 2025–2026
Thomas Volpe ’53 UrbanGlass Initiative Continues at Brooklyn Tech for 2025–2026
As 2025 draws to a close, Brooklyn Technical High School’s Industrial Design students are already well into another exceptional year of learning through the Thomas Volpe ’53 UrbanGlass Initiative — and the Brooklyn Tech Alumni Foundation is proud to reaffirm the continuation of this transformative program throughout the 2025–2026 school year.
With the first semester nearly completed, the initiative is once again immersing students in professional creative environments, connecting classroom instruction with real-world design practice, and opening new pathways for young innovators.
Thomas Volpe’s commitment to this program is a remarkable example of alumni generosity at work. His sustained support of the UrbanGlass Initiative doesn’t just provide opportunities — it transforms how students see themselves as designers and creators. What these young people gain through this experience will shape their futures for years to come.”
Mathew Mandery ’61, Alumni Foundation Chief Educational Officer
LEARNING IN MOTION
This year’s program is actively delivering hands-on, sequential learning experiences that guide students through a full creative and technical arc. The fall semester began with glassblowing demonstrations for all Industrial Design juniors, introducing students to the material properties and expressive potential of glass while offering direct exposure to professional artistic practice.
As the academic year continues, selected juniors will move into an intensive borosilicate flameworking project, where they will learn advanced construction techniques while designing and fabricating original wearable and sculptural works in a professional studio environment. Over the summer, participating students will further refine their skills through UrbanGlass youth programs, collaborating with peers from across New York City.
In fall 2025, seniors engaged in the advanced neon design project, completing the full design cycle from concept development to fabrication and final execution. The academic year will conclude with up-cycling workshops for all juniors and seniors, reinforcing sustainable design principles, followed by entrepreneurial development sessions, led by St. Francis College faculty, introducing students to business strategy, marketing, and professional presentation. St. Francis is an integral partner of the initiative.
A Commitment That Endures
With the continuation of the 2025–2026 program now firmly in motion, the Thomas Volpe ’53 UrbanGlass Initiative stands as a powerful model of what sustained alumni investment can achieve. The program equips students not only with advanced technical skills, but with the confidence, discipline, and professional awareness needed to pursue futures in design, engineering, and creative industries.
As the year progresses, Brooklyn Tech’s partnership with UrbanGlass — made possible by the generosity and long-term vision of Thomas Volpe ’53 — continues to transform curiosity into capability and classrooms into studios of innovation.
Support initiatives like this one
As we head into the year-end giving season, your gift will ensure that more students have access to hands-on learning experiences that unlock the skills young innovators need to thrive.
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