I recently had the honor of presenting a scholarship on behalf of El Mensajero Católico to a young lady from Rochester’s Joseph Wilson Magnet High School who is planning to study forensics at Buffalo State College.
The scholarship was one of many — totaling an incredible $2.7 million, up from a total of $16,000 only a few years ago — presented during the 16th-annual Ibero-American Hispanic Scholarship Recognition Awards. The event highlights the other side of all those negative statistics the media report about the high drop-out rate for Latino students. And much appreciation goes to Grace Tillinghast, who tirelessly works behind the scenes to help each and every one of the students obtain these scholarships. That’s the kind of leadership and support that can make such a great impact on the entire community.
These students also have shown that hard work does pay off as they head off to such universities as John Hopkins University as well as local colleges including the University of Rochester, Rochester Institute of Technology, Nazareth College and St. John Fisher College. Most also were surrounded by families and friends who cheered them on as they walked to the podium to receive their awards — illustrating once again how that kind of support is one of the keys to success in life.
We wish these students all the best and encourage them to remember the "service to others" theme that seemed to run throughout the evening. These students are being given a great opportunity to make their mark in the world, and they should commit to contribute to their communities wherever life takes them.
To the students: You’ve been given a gift. Pay it forward.
¡Felicidades! Good luck!
Scholarship winner Carolyn Santiago (left) with Staff Writer Annette Jiménez.
