Five BMCC Students Named Kaplan Educational Foundation Leadership Scholars

Five Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) students—more than any other community college in New York—have been named to the 2023/2024 cohort of Kaplan Educational Foundation (KEF) Leadership scholars.

The students (pictured above, L-R) include Business Administration major Barbara Abreu Bicelis, Ethnic and Race Studies major Joely Castillo, Computer Science major Anthony Chimbay, Liberal Arts major Shayla Rose Jimenez and Psychology major Genesis Torres.

Established in 2006, the Kaplan Leadership Program helps high-potential, low-income and historically underrepresented community college students complete their associate’s degree and successfully transfer and go on to earn a four-year bachelor’s degree at the nation’s most highly-selective schools.

The program provides stipends for living expenses, extensive tutoring, academic advisement services, leadership and career training, and other resources and support to help them expand their personal goals, and eventually attain leadership roles in their professions and communities.

“It was a privilege to work alongside the BMCC scholars during the application process, and I am thrilled to see their efforts rewarded,” said Sussie Gyamfi, coordinator of the BMCC scholarships office. “They demonstrated exceptional effort and dedication and I am so proud of the BMCC scholars.”

Since its inception, Kaplan Leadership Scholars have been accepted to many of the country’s most competitive schools, including Yale, Stanford, Brown, Amherst, Cornell, Mount Holyoke, Smith and many others. 92% percent of Kaplan Scholars earn a bachelor’s degree.

“Given the fact that the diverse and resilient talent that the nation needs to fuel the economy can be found in our community colleges, we felt it was particularly important that we remain committed to our mission and support a new group of students at this time,” said Nolvia Delgado, Executive Director of KEF, who is also a BMCC alumna (Liberal Arts, ’09).

“This year’s cohort continues to represent the wide diversity that exists in U.S. community colleges, including non-traditional age students, recent immigrants, first-generation and English language learners, and others pursuing degrees in education, STEM, computer science, medicine, law and other fields. Now more than ever, in this post-affirmative action landscape, it’s critical to remove barriers and provide greater access to higher education for our newest cohort of talented, motivated individuals.”