“As an immigrant,” says Deborah Adekoya, “it is very hard to navigate through college with the weight of financial burdens on your shoulders. I pressure myself to find the best way for my parents and myself to avoid educational debt. The BMCC foundation has lifted part of this burden for me.” Her long-term career goal is to be a Pediatric Travel Nurse. “The BMCC Foundation scholarship showed me that there is a whole world of opportunities, and this is just the beginning,” she says.

Elizabeth Alfieri is a fighter, survivor and a non-traditional, Out in Two scholar at the Borough of Manhattan Community College. Raised in The Boogie Down Bronx, New York, she too, like her hometown, has an interesting and unique history. The daughter of a single mother and absent-addict father, her first major life lesson was survival in the midst of trauma and adversity.  When asked what is her most rewarding role in life, she responds pridefully, “being the mom of Skai, Justin and Gino.” Her days are primarily filled supporting and advocating for her “au-some” non-verbal son, piecing together his journey through autism, followed by her love of cooking and dedication to her studies. Motivated and supported by her sisters, she looks forward to achieving her goal of graduating with a 4.0 GPA with an Associate Degree in Criminal Justice, and furthering her education in Spring 2023 at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, seeking a Bachelor’s degree in Criminology. She believes success doesn’t rely on achievements only; like her own story, it entails hard work, dedication, goals, lessons, missteps and failures, sprinkled with dreams and reality, combined together as one amazing recipe for success!

Patricia Dianne Carias, the oldest child of a single mother of three, dropped out of high school to care for her mother when she became ill, and earned a GED while working full time. “BMCC and the BMCC Foundation Fund Scholarship have been life-changing for me,” says Ms. Carias. “Through the support given by BMCC staffer Sussie Gyamfi, the BMCC scholarship office and generous donors, I was able to work less and focus on my studies. I no longer had to choose between studying for an exam or picking up an extra shift because I had school to pay for or textbooks to buy.” Ms. Carias maintained a 4.0 GPA at BMCC and was invited to join the National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS) and Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. She was also one of 30 students accepted into the BMCC Foundation Fund undergraduate research program. Her plan is to continue with her higher education and merge the fields of science, technology and criminal justice. Accepted into five universities for Fall 2022, she selected NYU. “The BMCC Foundation scholarship gave me the freedom to explore my school and all its opportunities,” she says. “It gave me the freedom to learn, explore and truly understand what I want to do with my life and who I want to become.”

Alan Cata was born in the South Bronx, and raised in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn, which he describes as “one of the poorest parts of America.” At the age of six, Alan says, he lost his father in drug-related violence. His mother had a substance abuse problem, he says, and he himself became a Bloods gang member who served 19 years in prison before turning his life around. “Now here I am a BMCC student and a Muslim who is opposed to negativity and evil,” says Alan, whose goal is to become a District Attorney.

Animation and Motion Graphics major Christian Davenport worked for a decade in the security industry, before enrolling at BMCC. “Going back to school was the first step in realizing my dreams of creating complex worlds and evocative stories, sharing them with my children, and passing on the tools to design imaginative projects of their own,” says Mr. Davenport. “I feel very fortunate to have been able to return to college, where I am developing my creative and technical skills to build a career in film, television and potentially, game design.” Featured in a profile on the CUNY School of Professional Studies website and having earned his first motion picture art department credit working on the Disney+ film “Better Than Ever,” Mr. Davenport sees BMCC as integral to his success. “Through the pandemic, the loss of my mother to cancer in 2020, and the loss of most of my income due to pandemic restrictions, the BMCC Foundation scholarship made a monumental difference for me,” he says. “I would like to express my utmost gratitude to the donors and staff who work tirelessly to ensure a better tomorrow for each of us.”

Julio Cesar Guevara, a Criminal Justice major, was born and raised in Mexico then migrated to the Unites States at age 18. He worked in the hospitality industry for 22 years before enrolling at BMCC at the age of 40. “It was not an easy transition to be a student again,” says Julio, “but with the help of the BMCC Foundation Scholarship and the many resources BMCC offers, I was able to manage it.” Looking ahead to a law career advocating for immigrants’ rights, he wants to give back to his community by helping people that can’t afford legal representation. “Before the scholarship, I would sometimes have to decide whether to buy books for school or pay my rent,” he says. “With the help of the BMCC Foundation, I was able to focus on my academic performance and I want to sincerely thank the BMCC Foundation for helping many students like myself to make our college journey a little less stressful.”

Jeremy Hudson, a pre-nursing major, describes himself as a 40-year-old gay man who resides in New York. He returned to college after 20 years with more clarity and direction, he says, and wants to become a nurse practitioner. “This would allow me to break the cycle of living paycheck to paycheck,” Jeremy says. “Thanks to the BMCC Scholarship, I am able to focus on being a success in my education and do not have to choose education over paying bills, a roof over my head, or even food on my table.”

Childhood Education major Fifonsi Diane Lokonon was born in Cotonou Bénin. She describes this as a “magical place,” but one in which opportunities for women are limited. “This dominated my life choices for decades despite leaving Fortaleza to emigrate to New York City at the age of fifteen,” she says. “In New York City I was exposed not just to new sites but also new ideas. While in high school in Astoria, Queens, I envisioned myself going to college and becoming a teacher.” Fifonsi first attended LaGuardia Community College, CUNY but was unable to receive financial aid, due to her immigration status. She continued working at a bakery, earning $6 an hour, left college and found herself a single mother. In Spring 2020, at the age of 43, she returned to college, this time, to BMCC. “Going to classes, taking notes, writing essays and taking tests did not come back to me easily,” she says. “It’s been a slow and steady race to get those skills. I will use the funds from the BMCC scholarship to purchase a good, reliable laptop that I can take with me to school and help me achieve my goal of becoming a teacher.”

Fernando Martinez is a Liberal Arts major who overcame many setbacks — including substance abuse and admission into a mental institution — before he enrolled at BMCC in Fall 2018 and committed to live a more constructive life. Since that time, Fernando has achieved a 3.4 GPA and will proudly graduate in June 2022. He is also proud that he has been clean and sober for the past 10 years. “The BMCC scholarship has impacted me in a major way,” he says. “It helped me to pay for school, buy my books and even a laptop, which was instrumental during the COVID-19 pandemic. If it wasn’t for the BMCC Scholarship, things would have been very difficult for me.”

Federico Della Monica is in his second year at BMCC. He moved from Milan, Italy to New York City at the age of 19. “I left my family and the people I love to make my dreams come true,” says Federico. “Every day this city motivates me and makes me a better person.” The Out-In-Two Scholarship enabled him to afford classes in the Harvard Business Online School and helped cover her tuition at BMCC. “I believe that investing money in education is one of the best ways to open our minds and empower ourselves,” he said.

Federico is not sure of his career goals, but he is certain that he will be working in either fin-tech industries or be an entrepreneur, and one day own his own business.   He is confident that upon completion his bachelor’s degree, he will be able to make the best decision for his future career.

Nursing major Jeanne Ngoma is the first in my family to attend college in the U.S. Her goal after graduating from BMCC is to transfer to a four-year college and earn both a BSN and master’s degree to achieve her lifelong goal to become a nurse practitioner. “This profession allows you to interact, communicate and positively impact other people’s lives and your own community,” Ngoma says. “Receiving the BMCC scholarship has lightened my burdens and allows me to attend all my classes without stress, to pursue my dream career and focus more on my studies.”

Business Administration major and Dean’s List recipient Ardit Nimonaj is in his third semester at BMCC and intends to complete his associate degree in June 2023. Since Spring 2022, he has worked as a college assistant at Kingsborough Community College, CUNY. His plan after BMCC is to complete a bachelor’s degree in business management and specialize in accounting. Nimonaj describes himself as the child of Albanian immigrants who faced numerous obstacles and paved the way for him and his siblings. He moved from Frankfurt, Germany to New York to pursue an international career in economics. “I was fortunate to grow up multilingual in a family with strong ties around the world,” he says. “I am beyond grateful that I was given the opportunity begin my path in the diverse, tolerant and open-minded environment at BMCC.”

Nursing major Hong Ouyang was born in China when the one-child policy was strictly enforced. Removed from school to work in a factory, “I had to repeat the same action to make almost 10,000 products a day,” she says. “I felt like I was a robot, that my brain was rusting.” Believing only education could change her life, and with the help of friends and extended family, she moved to New York City and enrolled at BMCC. “Now I am lucky to receive the BMCC Foundation scholarship, which has really decreased my financial anxiety so I can concentrate more on school,” says Hong. “The Foundation scholarship provides not only financial support, but access to many educational resources. I will try my best to study hard and through the profession of nursing, help others in the future.”

Kontina R. Pippen began her student journey at BMCC in August 2019 as a Computer Science major after taking her son to an information session for enrollment at BMCC, and applying for enrollment for herself. Upon being accepted, Kontina worked extremely hard throughout her four semesters, and graduated, with honors, in June 2021. During her final semester at BMCC, prior to graduating, Kontina received an email inviting her to apply to the START mentoring program sponsored by BNY Mellon for BMCC students, which led to her acceptance into the Future Talent Program as an intern in May 2021. As a FTP intern, Kontina worked on the R2M project in Enterprise Risk Technology with a team of amazing software developers. She was hired at BNY Mellon as a Senior Full-Stack Software developer in July 2021. Kontina is currently working as an Enterprise Quality Engineer taking on QA testing.

Health Information Technology major Yamitza Ramos works part-time at Mount Sinai Medical Center. Her long-term objective is to become a medical coder while pursuing a career in health information management. Her next academic goal is to earn a bachelor’s degree in health information management. Yamitza was born and raised in Puerto Rico. She did well in school and even as a child, envisioned a career in the healthcare sector. “My interest has always been helping people and working to improve their quality of life,” Yamitza says. “Success entails getting over difficulties and doing whatever it takes to get the finest outcomes for me and my family. The scholarship will enable me to put all my effort into my career in healthcare information management.”

Maxine Roberts is a BMCC Nursing major exploring options such as earning a Doctor of Nursing Practice at Columbia University. Roberts moved to New York in 2011 from Grenada and lives in Brooklyn. “The BMCC Foundation scholarship changed the entire trajectory of my life,” she says. “It has provided a sense of financial security so I can focus on what’s most important — my education.” Roberts also says that being a first-generation college student, “coupled with the anxieties of being a first-generation American, makes it difficult to find your footing. Thankfully, I found stable ground at BMCC and a wider sense of possibility, thanks to the BMCC Foundation Scholarship.”

Communication Studies major Ezio Watts identifies as Afro-Brazilian and loves fashion, painting, photography, design and “everything that allows human beings to express themselves creatively.” Passionate about cultural diversity and human interaction, he is fluent in Portuguese, English, Spanish and French. He plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in communication studies at Baruch College, CUNY and is considering McGill University in Montreal, Canada for his master’s degree. “Meanwhile, I have been working part-time as a fashion stylist for a clothing store in Williamsburg and as a showroom assistant for an interior design company in midtown Manhattan,” he says. “Both positions have provided me with valuable skills and helped me learn more about these industries.” Receiving the BMCC Foundation scholarship offset the cost of tuition for Mr. Watts and now, he says, “My ultimate goal is to become a professor and return to my home country to teach, or to work for the United Nations on programs that help the poor and less fortunate.”

Psychology major Joel Wolfe, who grew up in rural West Virginia, was scouted to enter a career in fashion right out of high school and moved to New York City. He now looks ahead to a long-term goal of earning a Master’s in Psychology and license in mental health counseling and working with coming-of-age adults, individuals who struggle with their identities and psychological abnormalities, and those who are having complications with grief. Determined to embrace diversity in all its forms, receiving the BMCC scholarship has provided Mr. Wolfe with a tremendous amount of relief. “The time and energy that I would have spent bartending and working fashion gigs in order to pay for my education can be replaced by something that will enable me to provide a positive change in the outlook of others,” he says. “My goal is to provide help for those that are in desperate need of healing and have the potential to do great things.”

Nursing major Shauna Yetman looks forward to becoming a Family Nurse Practitioner, having overcome challenges from abuse to homelessness. She cites her life’s motto, a quote by Winston Churchill: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” Shauna is a member of the BMCC Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society chapter and the National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS). “My goal is to become the first to graduate from college in my family,” she says, and is grateful to have received the BMCC Foundation scholarship, which assisted with her tuition balance and enabled her to buy a new computer. “The BMCC Foundation scholarship has assisted with advancing my education even further,” she says. “It has enabled me to uncover more valuable skills that qualify me for my dream role as a nurse practitioner.”