CDI was founded in 1995 by volunteers at Manhattan Comprehensive Night & Day High School to provide students with support services that the school could not afford to offer. By being fully integrated into the school, we worked together to help students succeed in high school and graduate. As the economy changed and students’ needs with it, we recognized that we needed a larger scale in order to provide the level of college and career services that today’s young people need to succeed. In 2011, we partnered with the High School for Health Professions and Human Services, and the following year with City-As-School High School. Today, we are a network of three schools with CDI as the nonprofit convener providing free social, career readiness and academic support services to nearly 3,500 students and alumni each year.