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The students we have supported are originally from Central American and South America, including Brazil, El Salvador, Guatamala, Honduras, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela. Please read further to learn more about a few of them.
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A.J. graduated from SUNY Stonybrook with an MS in Mechanical Engineering in 2014. The First Generation Scholarship Fund supported his undergraduate and graduate studies. He is currently working as a Senior Hardware Test Automation Engineer at Zoox.
"Pursuing higher education is a great way to open many doors and is practically a requirement for a successful career in today’s environment. Anyone going down this path will face challenges that will have to be overcome in order to come out the other side. Being able to afford the ever increasing tuition, handling the heavy course loads, and finding people to socialize with are only a few of the challenges one will encounter. These challenges are magnified when someone is in the situation I found myself in: undocumented. I did not qualify for government financial aid or even student loans, making it very difficult to pay for an education. Fortunately, I learned about the First Generation Scholarship Fund and was able to receive aid from them. This changed my life forever. I was able to study topics I enjoyed, meet some of my now dearest friends, and create the beginnings of a fulfilling career. Being accepted into the scholarship was a pivotal moment in my life and I am forever grateful to them." 
D.M. graduated from the University at Albany, SUNY in May 2018 with a B.A. in Informatics. He is currently working as an Enterprise Software Engineer at Wolters Kluwer.
"In Guatemala, my parents never had the opportunity to get an education higher than middle school. In 2001, they made the huge effort to immigrate to the United States in order to give me the opportunities they never had. During my Senior year at Mamaroneck High School, I never though that I would have the opportunity to realize mine and my parents dreams of attending a university simply due to the cost and my legal status. The First Generation Scholarship Fund gave me that opportunity. Thanks to the great committee members and generous donors, I was able to graduate from SUNY at Albany. Though it was a struggle at times, the scholarship encouraged me and supported me, and truly changed my life for the better. I could not imagine where I would be without the help of the First Generation Scholarship Fund." |
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M.J.A.G. graduated with a B.A in Psychology and Spanish from SUNY Potsdam in 2019 and an M.A in Mental Health Counseling from Brooklyn College, CUNY in 2021. She is currently working as a Bilingual Psychotherapist at Interborough in Williamsburg, NY.
"The First Generation Scholarship Fund helped me realize my professional goals without the burden of the financial implications that so often present themselves as a challenge to undocumented students. Their support helped me devote myself to my studies so that I could pursue my dream of giving back to under-represented communities and their mental health. The scholarship donors believed in me, my potential and the impact I could make. Today, I am able to pay their kindness and generousity forward. The First Generation Scholarship Fund not only helped me fulfill my dreams, but those of my family too as the first in my family to pursue a higher education. Never let “no” be an impediment, but rather a motivator to your success." |