Ifeoluwa Tugbobo Senior at Elmont Memorial High School, New York
Ifeoluwa is currently a senior at Elmont Memorial High School in Elmont NY. She will graduate this coming spring with an impressive and outstanding grade point average of 4.0 over 4.0. After graduation Ifeoluwa plans to attend the Sophie Davis Biomedical at the City College of New York where she will continue her education pursuing a degree in Pre Medicine.
One of her teachers wrote (Beyond Ife’s performance in Science Research, her years in Elmont Memorial High School have been saturated with academic accomplishments. Her devotion to education and drive for excellence has been acknowledged by being inducted into the Science National Honor Society in 2017}.
Despite her busy and over loading academic schedule, Ife is involved in almost every extra curriculum activity offered inside and outside the classroom and her community as well. In her personal essay which is part of her application for this scholarship, Ife wrote (My personal connection sparked my desire to study medicine in college. I realize the work of brilliant doctors, scientists and other STEM related fields is in great demand. Being in college would not only put me on the right track to a successful career but also allow me to build lifelong relationships with like-minded peers who are also self-motivated. I want to attend college because it gives students like me numerous opportunities for growth as individuals and is an appropriate avenue for my journey in a science related field career. At college I plan to study pre-medicine and pursue a career in child psychiatry. I hope to return one day to my home country of Nigeria to provide medical aid for my family there and as well as other villagers because it is an important link to my identity as well as what pushes me to attend a collegiate education in biology. 10 years from now I hope to be actively pursuing a career in medicine that is specific to children’s needs or a career in science research. Regardless of specific occupation, I hope to be changing the world for the better anywhere in the world).
In her acceptance letter for this scholarship, Ife wrote: On behalf of my family I wish to accept the offer and appreciate the Shani E. Duplessy Memorial Scholarship Fund for granting me such a wonderful opportunity. With this scholarship, my financial needs are met and I can focus on completing my education with excellent grades. Thank you
Maria Duran Senior at Sewanhaka High School, New York
Maria Duran is currently a senior at Sewanhaka High School in Floral Park, New York. She will graduate in this coming spring with one of the highest grade point average of 98.01 over 100. Maria has been accepted at many colleges but decided to attend Hunter College in the Fall 2018 to pursue her dream which is to receive a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Her thinking goes beyond the four walls of the classroom.
In her assay, Maria wrote: I come from a country where an education is hardly attainable. Ecuador is still a country that lacks economic and political stability. It is nearly impossible to further your education to a college level and obtain a job with that degree. Taking all that into consideration, my parents made the decision of moving our family to the United States. My parents sacrifice all they know to bring me and my brother to US in hope of us obtaining a better education and overall a better quality of life.
Maria continues: Being a bilingual speaker and hopefully entering the health care field, I want to impact my community in the most positive way. My community has a growing population of Spanish speaking immigrants. Not knowing The English language and being able to communicate efficiently is one of the most frustrating problems people go through. I was once in their shoes and my parents today still struggle at times with English. I want to be able to use my advantage of speaking two languages fluently to help these people at a Doctor’s appointment or emergency hospital visit for example. I can aid in this situation by helping communicate the doctor’s orders or any questions the patient or their family members have. Well said Maria
In her acceptance letter Maria wrote: I am beyond thrilled to accept the Shani E. Duplessy Scholarship and I am so incredibly grateful to have been selected. Words cannot express how thankful I am to be given this immense opportunity which will aid in furthering my education. Thank you again to the Duplessy family for giving students like myself this amazing support to continue their education without the financial burden that college can bring. Sincerely, Maria Duran.
Bianca Coley Senior at Elmont Memorial high School
Bianca Coley is currently a senior at Elmont Memorial High School in Elmont, New York. She will graduate this spring, and will attend Spelman College in the fall of this year to pursue a degree in engineering. If one academic performance can only be measured by his or her Grade Point Average, Bianca is right at the top of the list with a GPA of 4.0 over 4.0.
In her application for this scholarship Bianca wrote: The world of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) has always been exciting to me. Their challenges equip me for life outside of high school as I am made aware of how hard I can work and how much I can accomplish in any given time. My mentor ensures me that as an African American female immigrant, it does not matter that my strong passion for science and Mathematics may come as a surprise from others. It does not matter that my failure in life itself will be expected from those around me, and any cases, hoped for. And does no matter that in any given situation, I will be forced to work twice as hard and run three times as long as many more American counterparts just to reach half the distance. Regardless of the dreadful hurdles placed in front of me, persistently demanding that I give up, I am instead encouraged to excel even more. In the future, I see STEM allowing me to break whatever social stigmas that dissuade young African American female immigrants, and any other minorities from pursuing activities and careers related to those fields. I see STEM enabling me to break whatever barriers stand between me and my dream of engineering a more inclusive world. I am extremely proud to say that I see STEM enabling me to become a woman whose capacity for knowledge is uncontainable, as she strives to better herself every day.
(She cannot say it any better than that).
Maria Duran
Bianca Coley