Ecuador-native Veronica Martínez Castro wins a
Phi Beta Kappa New York Association Scholarship

Long Island City, NY (August 3, 2021)—Recent LaGuardia Community College graduate Veronica Martínez Castro is one of only two students from New York City community colleges selected for a 2021 Phi Beta Kappa New York Association Scholarship. The scholarship will help Ecuador-native Martínez Castro to complete her bachelor’s degree; she will be attending Columbia University this fall. She earned her associate degree in environmental science as a member of LaGuardia’s Class of 2021.

“We are incredibly proud of Veronica. Not only is she the first LaGuardia student to win a highly-competitive Goldwater Scholarship, a top award for STEM majors, but now she is recognized by the Phi Beta Kappa New York Association,” said LaGuardia Community College President Kenneth Adams. “Veronica’s selection reflects her drive and academic achievement, as well as the high caliber of our teaching and the many opportunities available at LaGuardia for students to explore their area of passion.”

There’s still time to enroll at LaGuardia for the Fall 2021 semester. Visit www.LaGuardia.edu/Apply today. Classes start September 9, 2021. Scholarships and financial aid are available.

Martínez Castro plans to earn a doctorate in conservation biology, and then work around the world as a conservation biologist and environmental activist.

“LaGuardia Community College should be proud on many levels: of the faculty who nurtured and supported the students, of the Honors Program staff, who, under very difficult conditions, helped assemble the applications, and, of course, of Veronica Martínez Castro herself,” said Leslie Verter, Ph.D., chairperson of the 2021 Scholarship Committee for the Phi Beta Kappa New York Association.

The Phi Beta Kappa New York Association awards annual scholarships to local community college students who have displayed excellence in the arts and sciences and are going on to a four-year college. Members of the Association are alumni who were elected to The Phi Beta Kappa Society.

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The Phi Beta Kappa New York Association is an alumni association for elected Phi Beta Kappa members that live in the New York City metropolitan area.

The Phi Beta Kappa Society dates back to 1776 and is the nation’s first honor society.

LaGuardia Community College (LAGCC), located in Long Island City, Queens, educates thousands of New Yorkers annually through degree, certificate, and continuing education programs . LaGuardia is a national voice on behalf of community colleges, where half of all U.S. college students study. Part 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 championing the underserved. Since our doors opened in 1971, our programs regularly become national models for pushing boundaries to give people of all backgrounds access to a high quality, affordable college education.

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