(
)
A Bronx HS of Science student living in Queens officially has one of the longest school commutes on the planet — a journey of more than five hours each day that tops the trips of everyone from a Brazilian kid on a donkey to a Thai girl in a rickshaw.
Santiago Munoz’s two-bus, two-subway trip to one of the country’s premier high schools will be featured in a photo exhibit tonight at the United Nations detailing the hardships children face getting to school.
“The trip I do every day to get to school everyone should be willing to do to get a good education,” he said.
Many of the kids highlighted in the exhibit are from developing countries, including a girl in Kenya who walks two hours to school.
IT’S WILD OUTSIDE THE FIVE ‘BURROS’
But 14-year-old Santiago’s daily journey from a Far Rockaway housing project to the tip of Manhattan, then up near the top of The Bronx — and back again — stands out for its extreme duration. The one-way trip runs between 2 hours, 20 minutes and 2 hours, 40 minutes depending on how transit is running.
Nonetheless, Santiago — who rarely has time to hang out with friends — isn’t complaining.
“Even though it takes me longer, their trips are harder,” he said of the other children in the exhibit. “I think I’m privileged to take a train compared to a donkey. I’d prefer a long ride and a safer trip than going one hour through a gang-filled or war-torn country.”
The ninth-grader wakes up at 5 a.m. each school day. Santiago — whose mom died when he was 6 — leaves the six-room apartment he shares with his dad, aunt, grandmother, two siblings and cousin just before 6 a.m.
Because parts of the A-train route were wiped out by Hurricane Sandy, he must board the Q22 bus, which he takes to the Q52 or Q53.
Either bus — he boards whichever comes first — will take him to the Rockaway Boulevard A-train station.
He rides that train into Manhattan, where he gets off at Fulton Street to board an uptown 4 train. He takes the 4 to Bedford Park Boulevard, then walks 10 minutes to his school.
On days when he has extracurricular activities — like the genetics course he takes twice a week at the Museum of Natural History — he might not get home until 9 p.m.
“It’s good to get involved in programs,” said Santiago, who is also on his school’s math team.
He could have gone to school closer to home. Santiago was accepted to prestigious Townsend Harris HS in Flushing, but the aspiring physician chose Bronx Science for its famed math and science programs.
“This gives me a better opportunity to become a doctor,” he said.
“I find the human body very interesting, and it’s something I’d like to study.”
He uses his time on trains to catch up on schoolwork — if he gets a seat.
“Sometimes the train can get really packed,” he said.
The photo exhibit, titled Journeys to School, was sponsored in part by Veolia, the international transit company that runs Nassau County’s bus system.
For many children, “each day is a journey, a test of will, to make it to school,” said Mark Joseph, CEO of Veolia’s North American division.
Santiago hopes it will all pay off.
“If you get the chance to go to college, then it’s worth it,” he said.
He would like to attend MIT or Columbia University, he added.