LaGuardia Community College Foundation Awards Over $500,000 in Named Scholarships

LaGuardia Community College Foundation Awards Over $500,000 in Named Scholarships

LONG ISLAND CITY, NY (January 13, 2025) — The LaGuardia Community College Foundation has awarded more than $500,000 in Named Scholarships to LaGuardia Community College/CUNY students for the 2024–25 academic year. Generous donors and partners, including leading New York City employers and philanthropic institutions such as Rise Light & Power, the Amazin’ Mets Foundation, and Con Edison, provide the funding for these scholarships. The Foundation recently selected 27 students as Rise Light & Power Scholars, Amazin’ Mets Foundation Scholars, and Con Edison Scholars for the current academic year.

Foundation Named Scholarships, both annual and endowed, are awarded to students in LaGuardia’s 50+ associate degree programs, following a review of eligibility, application, and interview. Awards range from $1,000 to $2,000, helping students pay for tuition, textbooks, and other living essentials. The top five majors among 2024–25 recipients, who must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or above, are Computer Science, Nursing, Business Administration, Radiologic Technology, and Accounting.

“Foundation Named Scholarships provide critical assistance for our students—helping them alleviate financial difficulties so they can continue their education and pursue careers in high-demand fields,” said Jay Golan, Executive Director of the LaGuardia Community College Foundation. “The scholarships supported by Rise Light & Power, the Amazin’ Mets Foundation, and Con Edison are notable because they share a focus on supporting the communities they serve. They reflect an emphasis on preparing students for the workforce, and on advancing social justice by supporting low-income New Yorkers achieve better futures through higher education.”

“We are privileged to be neighbors with LaGuardia Community College, a leading institution for economic advancement in New York,” said Wil Fisher, Director of External Affairs at Rise Light & Power. “Powering New York City includes empowering its most precious resource – talent – and we are thrilled to continue this partnership as we work towards a just transition to clean energy.”

The Rise Light & Power Scholarship Fund provides STEM majors with financial support and opportunities to learn about new forms of sustainable energy. It is part of Rise Light & Power’s Renewable Ravenswood initiative to transform the Ravenswood Generating Station into a clean energy hub and get future generations involved in finding solutions to environmental issues and renewable energy. Read about a visit from Rise Light & Power Scholars to Ravenswood in March 2023.

This academic year, nine STEM majors were selected as Rise Light & Power Scholars, including Dylan Ramdath, a Computer Science major and CUNY ASAP student. Dylan, who was born in Queens, New York and has family roots in Trinidad and Tobago, consistently makes the dean’s list. He is actively involved in the Phi Theta Kappa International Honors Society and the Honors Student Advisory Committee. He is a former President’s Society Ambassador and Academic Peer Instruction (API) Tutor. Dylan plans to finish his degree after the second session of the Fall 2024 semester, which concludes on February 27, 2025. He intends to transfer to a four-year college to specialize in artificial intelligence and software development. Dylan is passionate about the intersection of ethics and technology and aspires to develop a career with a leading tech company.

Reflecting on what becoming a Rise Light & Power Scholar means to him, Dylan said, “I was a first-generation college student with little to no guidance. Thanks to the scholarship I received, the chains of fear that had long crippled me were broken, and I was set free. I felt as though the light started to filter through the leaves, glimmering with hope for the future.”

The Amazin’ Mets Foundation Scholarship Fund supports exceptional LaGuardia students with pressing financial needs. It is made possible with joint support from the Amazin’ Mets Foundation and the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation.

Fourteen students were awarded scholarships from the Amazin’ Mets Scholarship Fund for the 2024–25 academic year. Urgen Tamang, a native of Nepal majoring in Computer Science, is grateful to have been chosen as an Amazin’ Mets Scholar. Urgen plans to graduate in Spring 2025 and then transfer to either City Tech or John Jay College to pursue a bachelor’s degree that will enable him to develop a career that aligns with his passion about the use of technology to empower underprivileged populations and close the digital divide.

“Growing up in the beautiful landscape of Nepal, surrounded by the majestic Himalayas and a rich cultural tapestry, I learned important values like hard work and perseverance from a young age,” said Urgen. “Despite facing economic challenges, I never gave up on my dreams of pursuing higher education and making a positive impact on society.”

The Con Edison Endowed Scholarship Fund supports preparing students from underserved communities for careers in STEM, including clean energy and sustainability.

Four LaGuardia STEM majors were selected as Con Edison Scholars for 2024–24, including Mahin Happy, a Computer Science major from Bangladesh. Mahin plans to finish his degree after Session 2 of the Fall 2024 semester. As a LaGuardia student, Mahin has been involved in international projects and various campus programs and clubs, including the Global Scholars Achieving Career Success Group (GSACS) and the Redhawk Engineering Club. Mahin aims to transfer to Baruch College to pursue his bachelor’s degree. He aspires to become a Quantitative Analyst for a tech company.

“Becoming a Con Edison Scholar has helped me continue working to engrave a better future for myself,” Mahin said.

In a February 29, 2024 press release announcing its support, Con Edison’s Chairman and CEO Tim Cawley explained that “Con Edison’s vision is for every New Yorker to be able to share in the benefits of the clean energy transition… We want to help build a clean energy economy that will make New ­York a model for the rest of the country. These grants represent Con Edison’s investment in the people we serve, helping them develop skills, competencies and receive experiential learning opportunities so they can enjoy rewarding careers in clean energy fields that will in turn benefit our communities and our environment.”

How to Support the LaGuardia Community College Foundation and Apply for Scholarships

The LaGuardia Community College Foundation is dedicated to supporting LaGuardia Community College students through scholarships, emergency funds, stipends for participating in enrichment programs, and jobs on campus as student mentors and tutors.

To make a gift to support LaGuardia Community College students, please click here.

LaGuardia students interested in applying for a scholarship should visit Scholarships – LaGuardia Community College or send an email to foundationscholarship@lagcc.cuny.edu. They may also visit the LaGuardia Community College Foundation in-person on the 5th floor of the E-Building, Room E-517, Monday–Friday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

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LaGuardia Community College (LAGCC), a Hispanic-Serving Institution, located in Long Island City, Queens offers more than 50 associate degrees and academic certificates, and more than 65 continuing education programs to prepare New Yorkers for transfer to senior colleges and rewarding jobs and careers. An institution of the City University of New York (CUNY), the College reflects the legacy of our namesake, Fiorello H. LaGuardia, the former NYC mayor beloved for his advocacy of the underserved. Since 1971, LaGuardia’s academic programs and support services have advanced the socioeconomic mobility of students from Queens, NYC and beyond.

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