PEP, October 2004: Union Scholarships. Opening the door to dreams

How to apply for
union scholarships

AFSCME Family Scholarship: c/o AFSCME Education Dept., 1625 L Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036 or go to www.afscme.org/about/scholarf.htm
Deadline: Dec. 31.

Nadra Floyd Memorial Scholarship (to the National Labor College): Get application from AFSCME Education (above) and return to National Labor College, 10,000 New Hampshire Ave., Silver Spring MD 20903.
Deadline: Dec. 1.

Union Plus Scholarship program: Call 1-800-238-2539 or go to www.afscme.org/about/aa-scho.htm Deadline: Jan. 31, 2005.

DC 37 Educational Scholarships: Call 212-341-4999 or go to www.collegenet.com or
www.fastweb.com. Deadline: March 15, 2005.

Local scholarships: Contact your local concerning possible scholarships.

By JANE LaTOUR

District Council 37’s annual scholarship dinner Sept. 12 celebrated many years of hard work and dedication by union parents, grandparents and students. “The families and children are the centerpiece of this event,” said Joan Reed, chair of the DC 37 Education Committee and president of College Assistants Local 2054.

Executive Director Lillian Roberts supported the sentiment. “We are here to salute young people who have excelled in education — our best and brightest. They have worked very hard in the classroom and we are very proud of their success.” She said the scholarships offered by DC 37 and many locals allow the recipients to realize their dreams.

Education Fund Administrator Barbara Kairson called the winners “achievers, scholars and future leaders. Because of who you are and what you’ve done, we are here to celebrate your achievements.” Many of the 33 scholarship recipients attended the dinner with their parents, grandparents and siblings.

Andrew Protain came with his younger brother Brian and mother Valerie Protain, although later that afternoon he had to be at his new school, Princeton University. Andrew’s mother, a Police Administrative Aide, is a member of Clerical-Administrative Employees Local 1549. “I feel very grateful to the union for offering the scholarships,” she said. “I was pleased because I know a lot of people apply.”

Pre-med and business
Andrew won the Education Committee’s Evelyn Gaskin Scholarship. He is majoring in psychology and studying neuroscience as he combines a pre-med curriculum with business courses. “I definitely am looking forward to the opportunities at Princeton. I’m also looking forward to the change of environment, since I’ve always lived in the city.”

Luz Rosa is a member of Housing Authority Clerical Employees Local 957. Her daughter Erica has received several scholarships, including one offered by the local. Erica Marie Rosa is aiming high. Her dream? “I want to be the CEO of my own Fortune 500 company.” She will pursue that dream at Berkeley College. “I think the scholarship program is wonderful, especially for us,” said Mrs. Rosa. “My husband is retired and it’s hard because the college fees are so high!”

James Scott and wife Debra attended the dinner with their daughter Jaime. Mr. Scott is an 18-year member of Construction Laborers, Highway Repairers and Watershed Maintainers Local 376. “We’re surprised and very happy,” said Mr. Scott. “I’m proud of my daughter.” Jaime plans to study accounting at Adelphi University.

Kerry Godfrey (Local 768)
A graduate of John F. Kennedy High School in the Bronx, Kerry Godfrey recently received a scholarship from the DC 37 Education Committee. She is now in her sophomore year of the pre-med program at the City University’s Sophia Davis School of Biomedical Education. Her dream? “I’d like to work with children. I see myself as a pediatrician. I have a passion for AIDS research, so I see myself working with children with AIDS.”
Perhaps Kerry inherited her love of science from her father, Carlton Godfrey. Mr. Godfrey, an immigrant from Jamaica, is a Senior Public Health Adviser in the Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene. He’s filled with admiration for his daughter’s ambitions. “It’s a very interesting and good thing. It’s an honorable thing,” he added. “She works hard and it pays off.”
Mr. Godfrey is a member of Health Services Employees Local 768. “I think the union is doing a very good thing opening up opportunities for people and helping the children to achieve their dreams. We have to pass our values along to our children so they in turn can pass them along to society. To whom much is given, much is required,” he said.

Gina Marie Mattei (Local 1320)
In Aug. 2003, Gina Marie Mattei began her college career at Duke University. This year, she was selected as one of 106 winners from over 6,800 applicants nationwide for the Union Plus Education Foundation Scholarship. She also received a DC 37 Education Committee scholarship. Gina’s father is Anthony Mattei, a member of Sewage Treatment Workers and Senior STWs Local 1320.
“As a daughter of a union member, I have felt no greater joy than to be bestowed with such an honor from an organization that has done many a great service for my family and many others,” she said.
In her winning essay, Gina wrote: “From my braces to the necessary cancer-preventing surgery on my leg when I was a child, to my mom’s several operations, my dad’s union has been there for us. AFSCME has touched my life in many ways. The debt of gratitude I owe to those who made such things possible is immeasurable.”
Ms. Mattei hopes to obtain her Ph.D. in psychology and to pursue a career in criminology. “My dream career would be to work for the FBI as a profiler. Another dream is to study Alzheimer’s disease and help put an end to this debilitating disorder.”

Graphic design
Sandra D. Rodriguez is a member of Board of Education Clerical-Administrative Employees Local 1251. Her son Anthony got the Education Committee’s Disabled Scholarship and a scholarship from Local 1251. Anthony is excited about attending Kingsborough Community College. “I started school Sept. 9 and I’m studying to be a graphic designer,” he said. “I’m very happy that the union has this program. It helps the children as well as the parents,” said Ms. Rodriguez.

Brittany M. Dorset is studying biology at Fordham University as part of a pre-med program. She received one of the Education Committee’s Memorial Scholarships. Her mother, Angela Dorset, is a member of Health Services Employees Local 768. “I am so proud of her,” she said. “If I could walk around with a sign, I would. She’s won a few scholarships. It helps a great deal.”

Elina Tetelbaum is a sophomore at Harvard University. Her scholarship from the Education Committee and her academic achievements make her mother Anna, a member of Court, County and Dept. of Probation Employees Local 1070, very proud.

“I’m very grateful and appreciative, knowing how many people apply. I’m impressed that the process is so fair,” she said. Her daughter is proud of winning a scholarship from her mother’s union. Elina is an excellent ambassador to the Ivy League for labor: “People take for granted how much work goes into anything and how many jobs there are that need to be done. Without labor, the world just wouldn’t spin!” she said.

Winners of 2004 Scholarships

Education Committee Scholarships
Elina Tetelbaum — Local 1070
Kerry Godfrey — Local 768
Sienna Pinderhughes — Local 1189
Gina Marie D’Arienne Mattei — Local 1320
Evelyn Gaskin Memorial Scholarships
Elvire Desir — Local 1549
Andrew Protain — Local 1549
Disabled Scholarships
Anthony Rodriguez, Jr. — Local 1251
Memorial Scholarships
Brittny M. Dorset — Local 768
Jennifer Sait-Preux — Local 1407
Faizzan Syed Ahmad — Local 375
Jaime Scott — Local 376
Carena Walcott — Local 371
Wendy Fung — Local 2627
Michelle C. Colban — Local 375
Noah Caust — Local 371
Irina Kazinich — Local 420
Yentl Polanco — Local 420

Local 375 Scholarships
Nehar A. Patel
Roxana Mariam Arvanaghi
Priyam Patel
Mihael Arthus
Jonathan Goldman
Michelle Colban

Local 957 Scholarships
Tametria Denise Bennett
Erica Marie Rosa
Daniel A. Genere, Jr.

Local 1251 Scholarships
Anthony Rodriguez, Jr.
Rachelle Eustache
Raphael Jean-Baptiste
Tanequa Wright

Local 2054 Scholarships
Anna Bvedikhana
Amanda Palma Jeremy Syrok
Christina Cook