Congratulations to Sloane, our Class of 2019 awardee of the CRLS Core Values Scholarship Sponsored by the Class of 1953.  Sloane is enrolled at Skidmore College, where she’ll be studying neuroscience and sociology: 

“I want to become a scientific researcher and unravel the impacts of exercise on treating neurodegenerative disorders.  The correlation between increased physical activity and cognitive function, focus, and mood has the potential to naturally prevent and possibly treat many mental illnesses and neurological diseases; and I am eager to discover the true extent exercise impacts the brain.  While the intersection of the brain and exercise is my passion, sociology has long been a field that fascinates me and drives me to view the world through multiple lenses.  As my curiosity has driven me to learn more about how society is built and structured, I have come to question certain aspects of society and assume a role that actively resists injustice.  I plan on reforming the foster care system:  ensuring foster children are placed in safe homes, providing more children with access to foster homes, and increasing the adoption rate of foster children.  I hope to do my part in moving the world in a more positive direction.”

Congratulations to Josee, our Class of 2019 recipient of a Friends of CRLS First Scholars Award!  Josee is enrolled at the University of Massachusetts Boston to study criminal justice:  “Being the first in my family to embark on a four-year college education means a lot to me and to my family.  Also, I am grateful for being the first, because I can show a good example to my little cousins so that they will be interested to go to college like me.  They can also use me as a resource to help them with school work and life’s situations.  I hope that one day I will become a detective and come to help people who don’t have a voice within society, especially people of color.  My goal is to do outreach and teach people about how the criminal justice system works.  Through workshops, I also want to teach them when and how to claim their basic human rights.”

Congratulations to Benjamin, our Class of 2019 awardee of the Dr. Christopher Saheed Scholarship for Future Educators, who is enrolled at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he’ll be studying psychology and early childhood education:

“I’m going to college to pursue a major in psychology and early childhood education. I want to receive my bachelor’s degree and possibly continue on to get my master’s in social work or teaching. I have experience in working with children in daycare and summer camp settings as well as foster children in a summer camp setting. Growing up as the youngest of ten children, I had always wanted to take on the role of the older sibling. Something about being that example for younger kids is really gratifying for me. In college I want to belong to groups that will do community service for the people in the area who may be less fortunate and I want to dedicate time to building a relationship with the people and adding something meaningful to the community and culture of the university.”

Congratulations to Sheden, who is Friends of CRLS’s 2019 awardee of both the Earl M. Gardner Scholarship and the Maria J. Tavares Memorial Scholarship.  Sheden is enrolled in the College of Management at the University of Massachusetts Boston and aspires to be a business leader: 

“I am not only a woman, but I am a Muslim woman of color, and my goal is to work on improving the lack of inclusion in the business world for women of color in America.  I would like to prove to young girls that the weight of constant criticism should not keep women away from sharing their gifts with the world.  Since the age of fourteen, I have pursued job opportunities, and working has given me insight into the business world.  Working has helped me make discoveries that I may have never learned of if I were restricted by the thoughts and ideas of others.  Other people’s assumptions should not dictate over one’s life, but, in fact, as a motivator for self success.”

Congratulations to Liana, our Class of 2019 awardee of the “100 by 100” Cambridge Business Community STEAM Scholarship for the Arts, who will be attending California College of the Arts to major in community arts:

“I plan to work in art accessibility, community, and education to try and expand the number of people who get to benefit from art spaces. Expensive classes and materials let only those who can afford it be able to create to their true capability. Art belongs in spaces that don’t cut off people’s access to it, and people who create these spaces and this type of art are vital. My goal is to be one of those people.”

Congratulations to Katya, our Class of 2019 awardee of the Mary Frances Monti Memorial Scholarship,
now enrolled at Simmons University, where she’ll be studying for a career in child advocacy:

If I don’t pursue law and become a child advocacy attorney, I would like to be a social worker for children in the foster/adoption system. By learning about social work and human services, I hope to leave Simmons University with enough knowledge to start making change. I plan to work with young children in the foster care/adoption system and put their priorities first. The most important question that I hope to have all the answers to is: Where is the best home for them where they can feel loved, cared for, and encouraged to pursue their passions? I know that I am only one person and that change is difficult to spark. However, by helping the youth, I am positive that I will be doing what I can to set people off on the right track so that they can make change in whatever way they see fit. I know the value education holds and the opportunities it brings forth. I believe it to be a basic human right that should be accessible to everybody, regardless of demographic.