Public Employee Press

AFSCME scholarship winners
Belinda Tzen: musician, athlete, scientist

By JANE LaTOUR

High school senior Belinda Tzen is a high achiever, an all-around girl who excels at all of her many endeavors. These include playing the violin in her school orchestra, running the 1500-meter race and serving as editor-in-chief of her school magazine, “Exit 33.” But it is clearly science that has captured her passion for excellence.

Tzen, the daughter of Data Processing Employees Local 2627 member Ho-Yu Su, graduates this month from Great Neck South High School. In May, she took Advanced Placement exams in English, French, U.S. Government, biology and physics. In September, she will start college at Stanford University in California, where she will study to become a neuroscientist.

Tzen is one of 13 winners of the 2006 AFSCME Family Scholarship, which provides $2,000 per year for up to four years. “This scholarship will really help us,” said Ho-Yu Su. “Stanford University costs a lot of money.” Belinda’s mother sees other benefits: “I feel very proud of her because she really achieved something, and the recognition gives her some encouragement. The union is like a family to us.”

In high school, her only class that explored unions was U.S. history in her junior year. “Even though our school is relatively liberal, I don’t know if people in Great Neck think about unions as part of the everyday life of the members,” said Tzen. In her scholarship essay, she wrote about the place the union holds in her family. “AFSCME has been a presence in our lives ever since my mom started her job the summer before I entered seventh grade. Back then ‘union’ meant no more to me than esoteric mathematics terminology. AFSCME has become a savior of sorts, granting us choices and providing tremendous peace of mind.”

Last year, Tzen’s science research projects made her a semi-finalist in the national Intel Science Talent Search. But she said the AFSCME scholarship is especially meaningful “since my mom has been part of this union since she started working at Baruch College five years ago.”

Tzen plans to get a medical degree and a Ph.D. in neuroscience. Her dream is to conduct research that can cure diseases. “We need to pursue treatments that are accessible and affordable,” she said. “Stem cell research can’t cure all the world’s ills. We need to diversify.” For that, she is eminently qualified.

How to apply: Applications for the AFSCME Family Scholarships are available on Aug. 1 online at: www.afscme.org/about/greenrm.htm and must be submitted by Dec. 31.