Getting into college can be a challenge —and for low-income students of color and first-generation students it’s even harder. A recent study by the Pew Research Center found only 20 percent of first-generation students completed college, compared to 82 percent of those who had two parents with bachelors degrees.
This summer, as they have for years, the Isaacs Center and the Goddard Riverside Options Center awarded modest scholarships to make the fight for higher education more equitable.
Students, parents, and staff gathered to award students their scholarships and celebrate their college journeys. Thirty-nine students from the Options Center and the Isaacs Center received scholarships to help pay for books, travel and other necessities.
“I am very grateful for this scholarship because I am a first gen student,” said Valerie Ramirez-Salgado, recipient of the Bridging the Gap Scholarship. “It is very difficult to pay for college …and it’s going to help me and my family.” Ramirez-Salgado has been a student at Options since her junior year and is now plans to attend Fordham University to pursue a degree in economics and psychology.
“I feel amazing, very happy, like I’ve been given a second chance,” said Brianly Urena, recipient of the Henry and Lucy Moses Award. Urena plans to use her scholarship to pursue a 2-part program for her master’s in science with the goal of eventually becoming an RN. She’s a graduate of our Certified Nursing Assistant program who got her certification in January 2024 before deciding to upskill by continuing her education.
Goddard Riverside and Isaacs Center President Roderick L. Jones began his remarks by thanking the donors.
“For our young people this is a life changing opportunity,” he said. “I grew up in public housing in Brooklyn and I remember when I got a scholarship it made all the difference in the world.”
He encouraged the students to be bold in their pursuit of opportunity.
“All you need is for someone to crack the door open just a little bit. Walk through it with courage because you have every right like everybody else to participate in society,” he exhorted them. “Your life has a purpose and this is the beginning of it.”