Fifteen high school seniors from eight Westchester schools have been selected as this year's Jandon Scholars - an honor that brings with it scholarships worth $10,000 each over four years of college.
County Executive Robert P. Astorino, along with Donald and Jane Cecil who started the Jandon Foundation in 1999, presented the scholarships to students from Yonkers, Mount Vernon, Peekskill, White Plains, New Rochelle, Tuckahoe and Sleepy Hollow at a ceremony on Monday, May 10 at the County Office Building in White Plains.
The scholarships are given to students based on academic performance, community achievements and financial need. All of the recipients have strong academic backgrounds, and many are active in their church and community and participate in after-school activities. In some cases, they have had to work to assist their families with living expenses.
“In good and challenging economic times, the Cecils have been there with these generous scholarships,” said Astorino. “The kids we are honoring are amazing – and so too are the Cecils.”
“I continue to be in awe at what these young people have already done in spite of the obstacles they have faced,” said Don Cecil. “I can only imagine the great things they will do in the future.”
Since 1999, the Jandon Foundation has awarded 156 college scholarships to help promising young students from low-income families to attend college. By the end of this school year, 120 students will have graduated from college with their assistance. The Cecils, who hold functions to bring the scholars together and offer advice and moral support, have donated more than $1.2 million to the program since its inception.
Don Cecil said that when he and his wife started the program the goal was to help level the playing field for low-income students with academic promise. While the program has achieved this goal, Jandon Scholars have also become an extended family.
To be eligible for the Jandon Scholarship program, a student must attend a public high school in Westchester and have substantial financial need. A selection committee chooses scholars based on junior- and senior-year grades, Scholastic Aptitude Test scores and good character. Students submit essays as well as school transcripts, letters of recommendation and other documentation. To encourage students to complete their education, the program offers an increase in the amount of the scholarship for each year they remain in school. Freshmen receive $1,000, sophomores, $2,000, juniors, $3,000; and seniors, $4,000.
The following is a list of this year’s scholars:
- Jessica Bellamy, Tuckahoe High School – Jessica is a member of the National Junior Honor Society, the National Honor Society and a church youth group. She volunteers in social service and day care agencies. She also works part-time to help support her family, plans on attending Quinnipiac College and wants to study medicine.
- Jenee Brown, Mount Vernon High School – Jenee, whose mother is battling a serious illness, is a peer educator with Teens for AIDS Prevention and a winner of the Martin Luther King Essay Contest 2008-09. She is involved with the Spirit Dance Center and “Ladies of Distinction,” and has taught dance to students ages 4 to 16. She was a mentee in the “Her Honor” Mentoring Program sponsored by Judge Judith Sheindlin. Jenee wants to become a physical therapist. She is going to Pace University.
- Keith Brunson, White Plains High School – Keith won the 2009 Outstanding Youth Leadership Award for academic excellence and community service. He is on the Calvary Baptist Church’s “Pastor’s Honor Roll” and is a member of the National Society of High School Scholars. A high honor roll student, Keith has also been recognized for outstanding performance in mathematics and as a volunteer in the community. He will be attending State University of New York at Albany.
- Brian Collado, Lincoln High School, Yonkers – Brian overcame a football injury that kept him home schooled for two months and recovered to score three touchdowns in his last season on the White Plains High School football team. Not just excelling in sports, Brian is a high honor roll student who took seven Advanced Placement courses and five “century honors” classes. He is also a member of the school’s nationally acclaimed Academy of Finance. Brian wants to study business and is going to Fordham University.
- Katherine Delacruz, Lincoln High School, Yonkers – Katherine is a volunteer at St. Joseph’s Medical Center and mentors eighth-grade students with the Academy of Finance of Lincoln High School. She is also a member of the National Honor Society and will be the first person in her family to attend a four-year college. Katherine will be studying business and finance with SUNY at Stony Brook.
- Tyvon Foster, Mount Vernon High School – Tyvon was a member of his school’s Computer Club, weight lifting and track and field teams, the Photography Club, and the “POWA” – Poets, Orators, Writers and Artists. He is off to Adelphi University in September to major in criminology.
- Jacqueline Graham, Mount Vernon High School – Jacqueline, whose family is originally from Jamaica, has a strong academic record. She has been an advocate for the Senior Westchester Youth Council, secretary for the National Honor Society, manager of the varsity boys swimming team, and a varsity swimmer herself. Jacqueline had a unique internship with the State Supreme Court for two months in 2008, and also volunteers with a humanitarian aid organization. Jackie wants to attend Clark University.
- Jermaine Henry, Mount Vernon High School – In school, Jermaine has been on the football, winter track and field, and spring track/field teams. Besides sports, he also excels in academics with a 3.7 GPA and the rank of 8th in his senior class. He has worked at the Mt. Vernon Youth Bureau and the county’s Playland Park. He will be attending Syracuse University in September.
- Shamicka Jenkins-Smith, Mount Vernon High School – Shamicka is a member of the National Honor Society, is on the MVHS Honor Roll and is a MVHS Cheerleading Scholar Athlete. With a “varsity letter” in both tennis and cheerleading, Shamicka still managed a 3.4 GPA during her senior year. Shamicka grew up as a foster child, is one of eight children living in a single parent home and also one of five adopted children living in her house. Shamicka wants to attend Hamilton College in the fall.
- Brittney McNab, Nellie Thornton High School, Mount Vernon – A consistently high performer in academics, Brittney has volunteered at the Westchester Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing and at Nellie Thornton where she tutored chemistry students. Brittney has participated in the Model UN, the Math Club, the Explorer’s Club and the Summer Judicial Academy for Young Women at Pace Law School. She plans to attend Wesleyan College in September.
- Emelyn Mendez, Peekskill High School – Emelyn is a member of the National Honor Society and the New York State Mathematics Honor Society. She won the 2010 Business Award for Outstanding Achievement and the President’s Volunteer Service Award. She is also the president of the Latino Culture Club, a member of the girls’ varsity tennis team and has tutored other students in science at the school’s learning center. Emelyn aspires to be an accountant and will attend Monroe College.
- Tracy Robertson, New Rochelle High School – Tracy is on the board of the New Rochelle Chapter of “Operation Smile” and also involved in the local JCC’s youth activities. She has volunteered with the “Sandwich Brigade” to benefit the New Rochelle Soup Kitchen and as a teacher’s assistant at Temple Israel of New Rochelle since 10th grade. Tracy participated in the New Rochelle Police Department’s “Explorer” program that develops leadership qualities in students. Tracy already has four college credits in accounting and will attend Hofstra University in the fall.
- Manuela Rodriguez, Mount Vernon High School – Manuela, whose family is from the Dominican Republic, consistently earns a place on the High Honor Roll. Manuela is a member of Today’s Students, Tomorrow’s Teachers, the “Her Honor” Mentoring Program sponsored by Judge Judith Sheindlin, the Photography Club where she is the current president, the Yearbook Committee, and the Model UN. She also tutors students at the Columbus Elementary School. Manuela dreams of becoming a clinical psychologist and is off to Rutgers or Fordham University.
- Marisely Rodriguez, Sleepy Hollow High School – Marisely, whose family is from the Dominican Republic, is from Sleepy Hollow High School and has a sister who was a 2004 Jandon Scholar. Besides her strong academic record, she is a member of Upward Bound, the National Honor Society, the Foreign Language Honor Society, and was elected as treasurer of LASO (the Latin American Student Organization). Marisely will attend Sienna College in September.
- Joseph Vele, Peekskill High School – Excelling in math and with a passion for inventing things, Joseph once pitched his idea for an “I-Cell” phone years before the “I-Phone” was produced. Brian received two President’s Volunteer Service Awards and was a member of the National Honor Society, the Math Honor Society, the Science National Honor Society, and the Mu Alpha Theta (an “elite” math honor society). Brian took six Advanced Placement classes and was active in the Interact Club, the Student Council, the Concert Band and the Chess Club. Fluent in both English and Spanish, Joseph wants to attend Northeastern University in the fall.