Public Employee Press

Member’s daughter wins AFSCME scholarship

Daniqua Goyans, the only child of Urban Park Ranger Danielle Clemons, received one of the 13 Family Scholarships awarded this year by AFSCME, DC 37’s national union. The Cobble Hill High School student graduated on June 25 and plans to begin her academic career at Kingsborough Community College Sept. 4. She aims to get good grades and additional scholarships to live out her dream of attending Lincoln University, where Langston Hughes and Thurgood Marshall studied.

In the essay that accompanied her application for the $2,000 scholarship, Goyans wrote about the union’s impact on her family: “My mother works for the city and she’s a single parent. When I see that my mother receives raises and that she can save for her retirement, that’s important.” Other family members, she said, “often don’t receive the same benefits as those who have union jobs.” From friends in non-union families, she wrote, “You hear how someone’s parent lost a job, or how a friend’s mom always needs to work unpaid overtime.”

Clemons started as a Parks Dept. seasonal worker in 1995 and moved up to Playground Associate and then UPR. She currently works at the Recreation Center in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Despite the hard times that have come their way, she has always stayed close to her daughter. “I almost lived at her school,” she said. “I always made sure she was involved in extracurricular activities — the choir, the marching band, a dance group.”

In 10th grade, Goyans started attending the Better Brooklyn Community Center and developed an interest in other issues. She began giving speeches to teenagers about HIV/AIDS and breast cancer awareness. “She’s focused and she’s constantly trying and I’m proud of her for that,” said Clemons.

“I’m pleased and delighted that our member’s daughter won the scholarship,” said Local 983 President Mark Rosenthal. “On behalf of the officers, the Executive Board and the membership, I congratulate her on a job well done!”

How to apply: Get an application by writing to AFSCME Family Scholarship, c/o Education Dept., 1625L Street NW, Washington, DC 20036 or by e-mail to education@afscme.org or visiting www.afscme.org. Applications must be postmarked no later than Dec. 31.

To be eligible, the student must be a graduating high school senior who is a child of an AFSCME member (or whose legal guardian or financially responsible grandparent is a member). The $2,000 scholarships are renewable for up to four years.

— Jane LaTour