High School Student In ‘College Now’ Program At City Tech Awarded Prestigious Spirit Of New York Scholarship

Brooklyn, NY – When Kieshorne Dennie of Crown Heights/Brooklyn, a participant in the College Now program at City Tech, became a peer helper in his high school’s peer mentoring program, he knew he would be helping others, but didn’t know he’d be helping himself, too.

In the SPARK (Supportive Peers as Resources for Knowledge) program at Brooklyn High School of the Arts, Dennie was one of the students who led discussions and made presentations on topics such as relationships, drugs and the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases.

When he was 10 years old, Dennie lost his father to AIDS. He hadn’t talked about it much until he became a peer mentor and began supporting other students in what they wanted to talk about. In that environment, he was able to open up and share his experiences, which in turn helped classmates who were dealing with the loss of a parent or some other difficulty to do the same.

Dennie’s involvement with SPARK and other efforts to improve his school had a second, unintended outcome. His volunteerism – along with good grades, extra-curricular activities and an essay on civic responsibility – earned him a $2,500 Spirit of New York Scholarship to The City University of New York (CUNY) school of his choice in the 2008 Myself Third competition.

Made possible through a generous gift by CUNY alumnus Robert Friedman, the scholarship program was established in 2002 as a tribute to the idealism and spirit of those who participated in the rescue effort following the 9/11 tragedy. It seeks to encourage and reward civic involvement on the part of high school students.

It was through SPARK that Dennie became involved in the annual AIDS Walk, in which he has participated for the last two years. “I knew I was not only doing it for my father, but for other people who were affected by the AIDS epidemic,” Dennie wrote in his scholarship essay. “I also walked to raise awareness of sex education within public schools.” He believes that the current practice of teaching health in high schools for only one grading period is not enough.

SPARK is just one way in which Dennie has given back to his school and mentored younger students. He is a trombonist with his school’s concert, symphonic and jazz bands and also plays the flute. He mastered these instruments by the seventh grade through the Brooklyn Music and Arts Program, and later volunteered to assist in teaching the trombone to other youngsters during the summers.

“It was my duty to return and share my knowledge and experience of music with the future,” Dennis also wrote in his essay. “I did not only foster their musicianship, but I also apprised them about the past musicians who have left an influence on our era.”

Dennie also served as a community service coordinator for the National Honor Society (NHS). With the help of his NHS club advisor, he connected other members with the public library’s READ program, through which they sat one-on-one with children in kindergarten and first and second grades to help them improve their reading skills.

College Now is a free program offered through 17 CUNY schools to help New York City public high school students prepare for college and earn college credit in advance of admission. Last year, City Tech’s Office of Collaborative Programs provided direct services to more than 1,250 students in partner high schools city-wide.
 

The Ronald Mcdonald House Charities African American Future Achievers

Roseland, NJ – The Ronald McDonald House Charities/African American Future Achievers Scholarship recipients are selected based on academic achievement, financial need and community service. Scholarship eligibility requires applicants to be currently enrolled high school seniors who are eligible to attend a 2 year or 4 year college or vocational/technical school. Applicants must have at least one parent of African American or Black Caribbean heritage; must be a legal U.S. resident and reside within the geographic boundaries of NYTSA Chapter.

2008 Recipients are: Joanne Biennestin , Jonathan Felix, Jr., Philip Gaye, Tanaya Hill, Tamasia Johnson, Kadeisha Kilgore, Elijah Mercer, Matthew Moore, Janet Nwaukoni, Jossy Page, Joshua Reyes-Layne, Earl Roach, Alicia Robinson, Damion Samuel and Narissa Williams. For further information about the program and scholarship call 973-287-1476.
 

Fisk University Overall Fundraising Up 156 Percent Has Exceeded Goal For Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Matching Grant

PRNewswire-USNewswire - Fisk University announced that it has successfully raised $4 million, five days prior to its fiscal year end June 30, 2008. The University also announced that total fund raising for the year is expected to surpass $8,300,000; 156 percent more than the amount raised last year. This latest achievement breaks a nine-year cycle of budget deficits.

According to the Council for Aid to Education, the median amount of funds raised by private liberal arts colleges for 2006-2007 was $7.3 million.

A key element of this year’s fund raising has been the broad based and positive response from people nationwide. In all, there were 1,161 new donors this year to the University over last year and alumni exceeded their prior year fund raising by 80 percent. Wachovia Bank donated $100,000 that brought the University to the goal for the matching grant.

“We are well positioned to sustain our fund raising momentum year over year,” said Fisk President Hazel R. O’Leary. “Thirty-four percent of contributions in support of the Mellon Foundation Challenge came from Middle Tennessee and it is clear that with the help of our alumni, the community of faith, government leaders, as well as our corporate and foundation partners we can claim a great victory this year.”

“This phenomenal accomplishment comes at a special time for our University,” said Board Vice Chairman P. Andrew Patterson. “Our alumni, trustees, and friends are engaged. Our board is excited about what the Fisk team has accomplished and we’re ready to pick up the challenge next year.”

In addition to fundraising, Fisk has had several major financial accomplishments:

- Eliminated accounts payable of $4 million in 2004 on June 11, 2008
- Improved financial reporting yielded no material findings by our auditors Hidden List
- Academic and Administrative Realignment has yielded first year Hidden List budget savings of 6-7 percent or upwards of $1,000,000

July 1 begins a new fiscal year for the University and will also be the second year of a five-year fund raising plan that has as its goal the launch of the University’s capital campaign in 2012.

According to the National Science Foundation, Fisk produces more African Americans who go on to earn their doctorate degrees in the natural sciences than any school in the nation.