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Public
Employee Press Members
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 37s 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 unions impact on her family: My mother works for the city
and shes a single parent. When I see that my mother receives raises and
that she can save for her retirement, thats important. Other family
members, she said, often dont receive the same benefits as those who
have union jobs. From friends in non-union families, she wrote, You
hear how someones parent lost a job, or how a friends 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. Shes focused and shes
constantly trying and Im proud of her for that, said Clemons.
Im pleased and delighted that our members 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 | |