Category: Scholar Stories

My name is Jackie, and I received the Rewarding Potential Scholarship in 2017 to attend SUNY Oswego. Before the scholarship, I wasn’t optimistic about attending college because of the financial burden. My mother passed away when I was 11, and my father, a taxi driver, earned a modest income. Without the scholarship, I wouldn’t have been able to attend SUNY Oswego, where I met many of my best friends and graduated from the education honor society.

My incredible mentor, Suzanne Grant, supported me throughout my freshman and sophomore years of college. I am eternally grateful for her guidance and assistance while I was away at school. Now, I am a one-on-one mentor with Rewarding Potential Scholarship, and I want to make a positive impact on my mentee as my mentor did for me.

I recently completed my first year of teaching a second-grade class in the Bronx. The most fulfilling aspect of teaching is building connections with each student and conveying my genuine care and support. I am thrilled to return to the same school to reunite with my students from last year and make a meaningful impact on my new students.

During my high school years, I worked at a camp, and I am now the head camp director. Two of my counselors this past summer were also recipients of the Rewarding Potential Scholarship! It was wonderful to connect with my counselors and express how much the scholarship has transformed my life.

In the latter years of my high school career, when I was thinking about my future in education, there was always the looming worry that financial burdens would be an obstacle to my success. Growing up as the only child in a Guatemalan household, I wanted to do my part in making my parents proud by being the first in my family to attend college. But envisioning a future at a good school was difficult due to the fear of taking on immense debt from college loans.

Throughout my time at Fox Lane, I tried to push myself as much as I could, taking all AP and Honors classes while balancing extracurriculars, including being a two-sport varsity athlete on the soccer and wrestling teams. Looking ahead, I knew I wanted to attend a school that would set me up for great success in my career. But I knew that many schools with great merit also came with very substantial financial costs. Tuitions upwards of 80k a year. A cost that was not tangible for me.

Rewarding Potential created a gateway for me: not only financially, but also in terms of connectivity. I was introduced to a network of individuals who shared stories similar to mine. Individuals who have found success while coming from backgrounds of constraint.

Having a one-on-one mentor through RPS has been a great experience because I have been able to connect with someone who has knowledge of the finance industry and is willing to provide support and advice for my career development. As someone with no prior industry connections, having a mentor through RPS has been such an insightful experience.

I am now in my Senior Year at Boston College, where I am studying Economics, Finance, and Hispanic Studies. I am looking forward to a career in the Financial Services industry and am happy to share that I recently completed a summer internship at a brokerage firm in Greenwich.

I look forward to helping the next generation of Rewarding Potential Scholars achieve their career goals and succeed not only in their desired field of work but also in their personal growth.

I am excited for what’s to come in my future career endeavors and am so thankful for the gracious support of the Rewarding Potential Scholarship, which has helped make all of my successes possible.

My academic career has been one that I will never forget, filled with challenges and growth. Along the way, I built lasting friendships that supported me through my college and personal life. Some of my most impactful experience and work came from my coursework in political science, biology, psychology, and sociology. I began to see the direction I wanted to take in my career and the values I wanted to carry with me.

Although my school lacked resources and support, I learned how to navigate those gaps by advocating for myself and finding the support I needed. Whether it was deciding which classes would best serve my goals or learning how to ask for aid; I knew I was never alone, and Rewarding Potential mentors were always there to support and help advocate for my needs. Additionally, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything if it hadn’t been for my mom and dad always lifting my spirit when I was down or felt like the obstacle was far too big for me. Even though they had no idea what was going on, they always did their best to support me and encourage me to keep pushing and for that I will forever be grateful. The importance of resilience and self-determination are lessons that have guided me well thus far.

I proudly serve as a Child Advocate with the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights. I have the privilege of supporting and advocating for immigrant children who feel limited in their voices or unsure how to be heard, as well as the language barrier. Helping the children find confidence within themselves has been one of the most rewarding parts.

At the same time, during my final semester in college, I discovered my passion for forensic psychology. It has given me a new perspective in understanding justice and human behavior, and it inspired me to pursue a master’s degree in forensic psychology in the near future. My college experience, my work with children, and my growing passion for forensic psychology have all shown me that my path is not only about building a career, but about creating meaningful change in the lives of others. I look forward to continuing that work with the same perseverance and dedication that has carried me this far.