On a sunny afternoon this spring, a group of New York City high school students—equipped with cell phone cameras and the iNaturalist app—were hard at work in the High Line gardens, tracking and photographing our resident bee population, who themselves were getting busy pollinating our gardens for spring. Capturing a bee in action requires a quick eye and some serious camera skills, and identifying species—even with an app—can be even more challenging. Yet, the young nature photographers cataloguing the High Line’s 33 species of resident bees were more than up to the task.

It was just another fascinating day in the life of our High Line Fellows: Emerging Leaders Program, who were learning why the High Line gardens are such a welcoming habitat for pollinators through a community science workshop conducted by The Bee Conservancy. The High Line Fellows program provides paid employment, career development, and leadership and skills training for local high school students. More importantly, the program helps young people discover their own passion for horticulture, public art, and the inspiring and innovative work of creating urban green and community spaces. Students enter the program as sophomores for a three-year cohort, choosing concentrations from among four learning pathways that include mentorship by High Line staff. By helping to cultivate the next generation of park advocates and community leaders, the Fellows program is one of the most important ways that the High Line helps build healthy and connected communities—and supports the future of cities creating urban parks.

“The High Line Fellows program creates meaningful educational and engagement opportunities for young people to learn about the importance of public spaces and develop real-world professional skills,” says Friends of the High Line Chief Administrative Officer, Jean Desravines, who oversees the Fellows program. “Perhaps most importantly, they learn to see themselves as artists, advocates, and changemakers.”

The Fellows have had such a productive and impactful spring season, we wanted to share this behind-the-scenes recap with you:

Civic Engagement Pathway

In March, the Fellows enrolled in the Civic Engagement pathway testified before the New York City Council Committee on Education to advocate for improvements to the OMNY public transportation passes that the city provides to students. Unlike the standard, plastic OMNY cards, the OMNY passes that students must rely on to commute to school and their extracurricular activities are made of paper. These paper passes are subject to frequent damage, glitches, and unexpected deactivations without any notice, leaving students without access to affordable and reliable transit. The Civic Engagement Fellows showed up to support the Transportation Alternatives Youth Activist Committee.

In April, the Civic Engagement Fellows conducted on-the-ground voter outreach for the District 3 Participatory Budget process. Between April 11 and 19, the Fellows collected 3,078 in-person votes—for a total of 4,015 votes collected—for the 2026 Participatory Budgeting cycle.

Horticulture Pathway

Our Horticulture Fellows trained in the use of bypass pruners, loppers, shears, and hand saws—including a Katanaboy saw—and put these skills to maximum use by assisting with our Spring Cutback, an annual endeavor during which we cut back all 1.6 miles of our gardens. After making room for spring growth during cutback, Fellows assisted the Horticulture staff in planting close to 100 plants at 30th Street and on the Moynihan Connector, learning proper planting technique and pest management strategies. They are also learning about the structure of plant seeds, plant growth, reproduction, and evolutionary relationships by cultivating plants indoors using grow towers. We have two grow towers inside our 19th Street Office, and the Fellows are using one to grow basil, chives, mint, and cilantro. By diligently observing and caring for their herbs, Horticulture Fellows can follow the life cycle of a plant from seed to flowers.

On May 8, the Horticulture Fellows participated in a Bee the Solution training with The Bee Conservancy. The Fellows observed which High Line plants attracted bees and other pollinators, photographed the insects, and identified them by uploading them to the Bee the Solution: High Line Project on the iNaturalist app. This training was part of the Fellows’ community science project, where they engage the public in data collection to advance science and conservation.

Art & Culture Pathway

The Fellows in our Arts & Culture concentration visited Pace Gallery, the Whitney Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Museum of the Moving Image—where they took a tour and an animation workshop, and attended a virtual reality demonstration. They also attended a performance of An Ark—a mixed-reality theater experience at The Shed. This included a conversation with Darren Biggart, director of civic programs at The Shed. Our Arts & Culture Fellows also participated in a career conversation with High Line Art—where they learned about professional opportunities in the arts from High Line staff members. They are also experimenting with cyanotype printing with teaching artist, Julia Rooney.

Parks & Visitor Experience Pathway

Our Parks & Visitor Experience Fellows hosted a session with the High Line’s public programming team to pitch their own ideas for on-park events. They learned about the complexities of planning a successful event and gained insight into this line of work. With help from High Line Staff, the Fellows also selected the theme for the annual Teen Night, the dance party and social event for young people that the Fellows plan and are hosting on May 29 from 4 – 8pm on the High Line. For the 2026 theme, they chose Victoriously Vintage, which pays tribute to the NYC of the ‘90s and friendly sports competitions. One of the many highlights of Teen Night will be a subway car and graffiti-inspired photo booth, which our Art & Culture Fellows are creating with Teaching Artist Greg Corbino. Registration for Teen Night: Victoriously Vintage is now open.

Spring Intensive

Our Fellows from across the four pathways come together several times a year for focused intensives. This year’s Spring Intensive focused on career preparation. Our Fellows participated in a Career Conversation panel with High Line Board Member Jeff Harris, who provides major support for the Fellows program. Our Fellows also received job search coaching—learning LinkedIn tips and participating in mock interviews—with our corporate partner, and the High Line’s Lead Wellness Sponsor, Guardian.

Finally, the Fellows’ party planning committee organized an afternoon mixer with our staff at the High Line’s headquarters. This event included food, crafts, games, and conversation starters. Most importantly, these young people created an opportunity for our Fellows and staff members to get to know each other.

The High Line Fellows: Emerging Leaders Program will begin recruitment for the next cohort of high school sophomores in the fall.

Learn more about the High Line Fellows program →

Keeping our park in the sky operating year-round is only possible through the people-powered support of members like you. 100% of our annual operating budget is provided through donations.

Want to help us keep the High Line free and accessible to all New Yorkers and visitors? Consider making a donation to support the High Line today!

Photography: Anita Ng | Carlos Sanfer | Friends of the High Line