Public Employee Press

Union Scholarship Winners
Ties that bind and inspire

By JANE LaTOUR

As she has done every year since 2000, DC 37 Education Committee Chair Joan Reed, president of College Assistants Local 2054, introduced the scholarship winners and their family members Sept. 12 at the union’s annual Scholarship Dinner-Dance. “The students are our stars,” she said.

“The scholarships are just one of the many things we do through the union to assist our families in furthering their educational goals,” said DC 37Executive Director Lillian Roberts. “They can open the door to a successful future.”

Education Fund Administrator Barbara Kairson pointed out that with the cost of an education rising, many students are being deprived of the means to achieve their dreams. “For this reason, DC 37 is proud to offer so many scholarships,” she said.

Family life often provides the motivation to become a good student and offers experiences that add an extra dimension to the search for fulfillment, as it has done for many of the DC 37 scholarship winners.

Lorraine Ramos of Clerical-Administrative Local 1549 spoke about her son José, who is now studying at St. John’s University.

“September 12 was the first anniversary of the death of his grandmother. He was very close to her.” In his essay, José wrote about the impact her death had on his life. “I always knew my grandmother was proud of the good work I’ve done. I began to use this as motivation. She would like nothing more but to see me continue to succeed in life, if she were still alive.”

Grandparents give a boost
Jessica Mofield, winner of the Memorial Scholarship Award, is beginning her studies at Virginia State University in pursuit of her dream: to become a psychologist. She was influenced by the deeply personal experience of having a family member hooked on drugs. In her essay, she said she wants to understand the compulsion of addiction in order to help other young people in her community.

“My union really came through for my daughter,” said Jessica’s mother, Cheryl Mofield of Housing Authority Clericals Local 957. She was pleased that Jessica’s grandfather Thomas Jones, “was able to be here to experience this event. She’s very close to him. He’s a father figure and a mentor to the whole family.”

Lawrence Wei Huang shared the event with his grandmother, Mrs. Fuqiong Lu, who immigrated to America from China when he was in the 5th grade. She picked him up after school every day and also taught him mathematics. A math teacher in China, she was able to transfer her gifts to her grandson, who led the Stuyvesant High School math team and ranked among the top 10 students in a nationwide math competition.

Last year, Lawrence traveled to China and was struck by the “amazing people and their culture. Respect for family and the elders is central to their way of life,” he said. Lawrence is starting at Stony Brook University, where he plans to study computer engineering. Wei Huang, an electrical engineer in Civil Service Technical Guild Local 375 is filled with pride when he speaks about his smart, soft-spoken son.

A summer caring for autistic children influenced the career choice of Jan Victoria Alejado, who received the Evelyn Gaskin award. In her essay she wrote, “Intrigued by the children’s progress, I began to research speech pathology. I discovered many prominent colleges offering speech therapy.” Now she is studying at New York University. “College is very expensive! The union scholarship helps us out,” said her father, Victor Alejado, a member of Municipal Hospital Employees Local 420.

Gaining on goals
Victor Rivera, the winner of the Overcoming Obstacles Award, has himself received help from speech pathologists. He attributed the progress he has made in his studies to the time they shared with him. “I feel so fortunate that he received this scholarship and has the opportunity,” said his mother, Aurelia Ortega of Education Dept. Local 372. Rivera is now attending the Borough of Manhattan Community College and plans to continue his studies at Baruch College.

Daniel Patrick White lost his father at 12 and grew up very close to his grandfather Leo Brzynski, a retired member of Construction Laborers, Highway Repairers and Watershed Maintainers Local 376. At the dinner Brzynski spoke proudly about “Danny’s” accomplishments and character. “He’s a good, studious fellow and he likes to help kids whenever he can. He has a good head on his shoulders.” Daniel, who received the Education Committee Award, is currently a sophomore at Georgetown University.