New York City Phi Theta Kappa Members Continue Education with Kaplan Leadership Scholarships
Access and affordability are increasing challenges in obtaining higher
education, but two organizations have made it possible for New York City
minority students to gain an advantage in the process. Phi Theta Kappa,
the international academic honor society for two-year colleges, and the
Kaplan Educational Foundation are opening new doors of opportunity for
New York City community college students.
Three years ago Phi
Theta Kappa's Executive Director Rod A. Risley worked with Kaplan Educational
Foundation Director Jennifer Benn to help structure a program funded by
Kaplan that would provide assistance to need-based minority students
attending New York City area community colleges -- and now students are
reaping the rewards.
The Kaplan Leadership Scholar Program
assists Scholars before their transfer from community college and through
their bachelor's degree programs, working with them and their campus academic
advisors. The first group of Scholars has already successfully transferred
from various City University of New York schools to competitive four-year
undergraduate programs, including American University, New York University
and Morehouse College. According to Foundation Director Jennifer Benn,
"Kaplan Scholars are supported for several years -- from receiving their
associate degrees through to the completion of their bachelor's degrees,
so that they can achieve their academic and career goals and eventually
become leaders in their communities."
"It is very much a hands-on
program to help students complete an associate degree and prepare to transfer
to very good colleges," Risley explained. "Kaplan provides scholarships
and much needed personal advising in the way of assistance."
Nine
New York City area community college students were designated Kaplan Leadership
Scholars in 2007, and seven of the nine were Phi Theta Kappa members.
2007
Kaplan Leadership Scholars include:
Kwesi Blackman
Kingsborough
Community College student
Keisha Carrington
Borough
of Manhattan Community graduate, transferred to Goucher College
Aaron
Hudson
LaGuardia Community College student
Bolaji James
New
York City College of Technology graduate, transferred to Morehouse College
Veronica Nunez
Queensborough Community College student
Hamissou
Samari
Borough of Manhattan Community College graduate, transferred
to the American University
Martha Santos
Borough of Manhattan
Community College graduate, transferred to New York University
Sharrise
Simmons
Borough of Manhattan Community College student
Levald
Thomas
Kingsborough Community College student
Blackman,
Carrington, Hudson, Nunez, Samari, Simmons and Thomas are members of Phi
Theta Kappa.
These students say Phi Theta Kappa is providing
recognition of their academic excellence at the two-year college level
and the kind of opportunities for leadership and service they need to be
accepted into programs such as the Kaplan Leadership Scholar Program.
"Being
a member of Phi Theta Kappa helped me be accepted into the Kaplan Leadership
Program because it helped build my academic confidence," said Kingsborough
Community College student Levald Thomas. "With the insight of the Kaplan
staff, I see the value of academics and education in a totally new light.
I've always had goals but through the program I created an actionable plan
to make my goals a reality." Eventually Thomas dreams of starting his own
business as a motivational speaker.
Fellow Kingsborough Community
College student and Kaplan Scholar Kwesi W. Blackman said being a member
of Phi Theta Kappa showed Kaplan that he was serious about his education,
goals and desire to make a difference at his school. The scholarship has
enabled Blackman, a U.S. Army veteran of Iraq, to transfer to Northeastern
University in Boston, where he is majoring in biology and pre-med in preparation
to become a surgeon. "The scholarship has supplied me with a monthly stipend,
paid for my books, and paid for one-on-one tutoring for my classes," Blackman
said.
Veronica Nunez, another Kaplan Scholar, who also serves
as president of her Phi Theta Kappa chapter at Queensborough Community
College, is currently applying to several four-year colleges and planning
to transfer this fall. "The Kaplan scholarship is helping me in my education
because it has provided financial support, career counseling, a living
stipend, and college transfer assistance," she said. Nunez, who moved
to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic two years ago, hopes to major in psychology
with a concentration in childhood psychology and educational studies.
Her goal is to become a child psychologist.
"Kaplan offers financial
support for tuition, books, and supplemental life stipends which allow
us to work a little less and focus more on our education," said Kaplan Scholar
Aaron Hudson, who serves as president of his Phi Theta Kappa chapter at LaGuardia
Community College. "Kaplan also provides us with leadership workshops,
transfer services, and tutoring to assist us in our studies." He is hoping
to transfer in the fall semester to earn a degree in Network Systems Administration.
"Ultimately, I will own my own IT consulting firm. I plan to offer services
from basic hardware installations and maintenance to security and network
administration for corporate-sized organizations,"
Hudson said.
"Being
active on campus is one of the main requirements to win the Kaplan scholarship.
Being a member of Phi Theta Kappa as one of the most important decisions I
made as a student at BMCC, for I believe it increased my chances to be accepted
into the Kaplan Leadership Program," said Hamissou Samari, a graduate
of Borough of Manhattan Community College. "I used to wonder what my life
would be without a college education, now I can't help wondering what my
college education would have been without the Kaplan scholarship. Indeed
before Kaplan, the associate degree was a great challenge to me. Thanks
to Kaplan the bachelor degree is no longer out of my reach." Samari has now
transferred to the American University in Washington, DC., where he is
majoring in international service, hoping to someday work for an international
organization, a non-governmental organization or a non-profit organization.
The
Kaplan Leadership Program has announced a February 1, 2008, deadline for
applications from community college students. Successful applicants
will receive up to $25,000 in financial aid annually, in addition to other
financial support, personalized advising, tutoring, leadership training,
and career counseling.
Phi Theta Kappa International Honor
Society, headquartered in Jackson, is the largest honor society in American
higher education with 1,250 chapters on two-year and community college
campuses in all 50 of the United States, Canada, Germany, the Republic of
Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia,
the British Virgin Islands, the United Arab Emirates and U.S. territorial
possessions. More than two million students have been inducted since its
founding in 1918, with approximately 100,000 students inducted annually.
For more information, visit www.ptk.org.
The
Kaplan Educational Foundation was founded by Kaplan, Inc., a global leader
in education and career services. The Foundation provides high-potential,
low-income students with academic and financial support, and leadership
training to raise their expectations for success and open doors to opportunities
that will change their lives and their communities. For more information
about the Kaplan Educational Foundation, please visit www.kaplanedfoundation.org.
