Welcome to the Summer edition of the Hostos Community College Foundation newsletter.
Hostos and its incredible students have made remarkable accomplishments throughout a very challenging year – among them, a near-record graduating class, with degrees conferred to more than 1,200 dedicated students. The Hostos Community College Foundation helps to enable achievements such as this by raising funds to further the educational mission of the College. Through a variety of scholarship offerings, student support initiatives and community service programs, the Foundation helps Hostos to remain accessible and provide enlivening opportunities to all who seek them. Whether your interests align with supporting academic attainment, meritorious achievement, or programs that enrich our community at large, your gift makes it possible for Hostos to provide meaningful services to all of its constituents.
Please visit our giving page to learn about our established philanthropic funds and make your contribution. If you would like to help Hostos expand its opportunities and initiate a named scholarship with a minimum gift of $5,000, please contact Acting Dean of Institutional Advancement Susan Pinamonti. Your generosity enables Hostos to continue to thrive as a South Bronx anchor institution and provide transformative opportunities for our students.
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Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott Makes Historic Gift to Hostos |
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On June 15, philanthropist MacKenzie Scott announced that she would make a gift of $15 million – the largest single-donor gift in the history of the College – to support Hostos Community College’s highly impactful service to historically marginalized groups. In an insightful essay on Medium, Ms. Scott shared her vision to invest in organizations working within communities to create a more just and equitable future, recognizing that “community-centered service is…a powerful catalyst,” and “higher education is a proven pathway to opportunity.”
The Foundation extends its profound gratitude to Ms. Scott for her historic gift and for recognizing the value of Hostos students and our mission. Click here to read more about this gift.
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On Thursday, April 29, the Hostos Community College Foundation presented its premier of the 2021 Virtual Annual Scholarship Benefit. This special event afforded the Foundation the opportunity to express its appreciation to its generous donors, celebrate their impact on students’ lives, and illustrate the phenomenal offerings that Hostos provides to its students and the community. This year, the well-attended Annual Scholarship Benefit raised more than $107,000 in support of student success and the educational mission of the College.
The Foundation would like to thank each of the generous sponsors and individuals who supported this event.
If you were unable to view the premiere, you can watch the entire program by clicking on the video link.
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On Friday, May 28, 2021, Hostos Community College hosted its virtual 51st commencement ceremony, applauding the prodigious achievements of our newest graduates.
Mistress of Ceremonies, Professor Natasha Lorca Yannacañedo, and the Grand Marshal, Professor Yoel Rodríguez, led the celebration of the graduating class, creating a joyful atmosphere that was echoed by encouraging messages shared from family and friends throughout the event. Inspiring words from Interim President Daisy Cocco De Filippis were joined by messages from Commencement Speaker Julissa Reynoso-Pantaleón, several elected officials, as well as other honored guests. The ceremony included a moving speech from the Valedictorian, Ishrat Zahan and, of course, the conferring of degrees. Five Presidential Medals were awarded to recognize extraordinary service, and the Honorable José E. Serrano was presented with an honorary degree. If you were unable to view the ceremony, you can watch it at any time on the Hostos YouTube Channel or click the video link below to watch now.
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“Hostos has not produced a single leader, but rather, a generation of leaders from the South Bronx.” Valedictorian Ishrat Zahan. |
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CORPORATE AND FOUNDATION RELATIONS |
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Since our last newsletter, the following grants have been awarded to the Hostos Community College Foundation.
- Robin Hood Foundation - $150,000 grant award over three months to provide assistance to students who have experienced financial hardship as a result of the pandemic
- The Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation - $20,000 grant award over one year in support of the Hostos Food Pantry
- The New York Yankees Foundation - $10,000 grant award over one year in support of the Hostos Food Pantry
The Hostos Community College Foundation is most appreciative for this generous support.
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The Hostos Community College Foundation is delighted to announce the induction of three distinguished community leaders as new Board members: Marlene Cintrón, Gunanand Persaud, Jr., DDS, and Robert Sancho. |
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Marlene Cintrón
President, Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation
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Gunanand Persaud, Jr., DDS
Founder, Townsend Dental Practice, PC
Attending Dentist, Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center
President and CEO, Montebello Equities Corporation
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Robert Sancho
Vice President of Development and External Affairs, BronxCare Health System
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These new members embrace the mission of Hostos as an anchor institution and bring insightful vision on ways to strengthen student experiences and increase opportunities for our community. Please join us in welcoming these civic-minded leaders to the Foundation. |
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NEW SCHOLARSHIPS AND AWARDS |
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Nasry Michelen Foundation Endowed Scholarship |
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The Hostos Community College Foundation is pleased to announce that it has received a $57,000 contribution from the Nasry Michelen Foundation. This generous gift will provide two annual scholarship awards at the Honors Convocation Ceremony and establish the intended Nasry Michelen Foundation Endowed Scholarship. Dr. Nasry Michelen was a founder and the first president of Hostos Community College, and his dedication to quality education and the residents of the South Bronx remain at the core of the College’s mission.
Scholarships of up to $3,500 each will be awarded to graduating students who have demonstrated academic excellence and who intend to continue their education at a four-year institution. Eligible students will have a minimum GPA of 3.5 and must be receiving a degree in an Allied Health or a Public Health Administration Degree Program.
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The Carlos Molina and Marilyn Aguirre-Molina Fund
for Excellence in the Performing Arts
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This fund, established by former Vice President of the Division of Continuing Education and Workforce Development Carlos Molina, Ed.D., and his wife, Marilyn Aguirre-Molina, will provide recognition and financial support to students who have demonstrated excellence in and commitment to the performing arts.
The fund is comprised of two distinct components. The first component is The Carlos Molina and Marilyn Aguirre-Molina Award for Experiential Learning in the Performing Arts, which will provide financial assistance for student experiential learning opportunities, such as festival participation. Domestic opportunities, such as the Kennedy Festival, for example, are eligible for $500 towards support of related expenses. International opportunities, such as the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, are eligible for $1,000 - $1,500 towards support of related expenses. The second component is The Carlos Molina and Marilyn Aguirre-Molina Transfer Award for Excellence in the Performing Arts, which will provide monetary support to a student or students who are graduating and transferring to a four-year college to continue their studies in the performing arts. For this transfer award, students must: provide documentation of acceptance or registration at a senior college (program of study must be in the performing arts, i.e. acting, dance, theater design, stage management, playwriting, or arts administration); have an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher; have successfully completed at least one theater course at Hostos; and have participated in at least one theatrical production at Hostos prior to graduation.
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The Pedro Pérez-Cabezas Memorial Scholarship |
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Hostos Director of Academic Affairs Daliz Pérez-Cabezas created this fund in honor of her brother, remembering his dedication to empowering others through education and his success in the engineering field. To be considered for this $250 award, students must: be enrolled in an Associate of Arts degree program in engineering, computer science, or math; maintain a GPA of 2.7 or higher; and provide documentation that demonstrates financial need. |
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The Richard A. Propper Memorial Scholarship |
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The Richard A. Propper Memorial Scholarship celebrates Mr. Propper’s belief in education as the foundation for opportunity and honors his legacy of giving back to the community he loved so dearly. Students who are enrolled in the Business Management Program, have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, and who provide documentation of academic or personal need, will be eligible to be considered for a $500 scholarship award.
The Foundation is profoundly grateful to the donors who have invested in making these opportunities available to Hostos students.
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The Office of Alumni Relations concluded its Hostos 20.21 Class Campaign, which celebrated this year’s determined graduates and supported opportunities for current students. Alumni, faculty, staff and friends demonstrated their commitment to Hostos by making gifts of $20.21 or more to benefit two funds: The Circle of 100 Emergency Fund and the General Academic Excellence Fund. Each of these funds empowers the next generation of Caimans to prepare to go forth and achieve their goals. To learn more about this annual effort, please use the button below. |
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The Hostos Alumni Spotlight Series illuminates the remarkable impact our graduates have in our communities. These stories illustrate personal triumphs through challenging circumstances, but also share resonating messages about the boundless potential of motivated individuals equipped with the tools for success. These evocative, personal insights from alumni affirm to our students that with the power of education and the supportive environment provided by Hostos, they, too, will succeed in making their dreams come true. |
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We invite you to consider supporting this special series – each sponsorship level provides an array of promotional benefits in recognition of your generosity. |
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On Wednesday, June 30 at 12:30 p.m., the Office of Alumni Relations will host its next Alumni Mixer on Zoom. Alumni Relations Manager Félix Sánchez and Physical Sciences Unit Professor Yoel Rodríguez, Ph.D. will co-host a dynamic conversation about the engineering field. Alumni Dane Christie ’10, a materials scientist at Corning Incorporated, and Wendy Fernández ‘15, an analog design engineer at Intel Corporation, will share their insights and discuss how their Hostos degrees have prepared them for careers with these prominent companies.
Be part of this exciting luncheon discussion and celebrate the transformative power of our Hostos alumni!
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2021 VIRTUAL ANNUAL BENEFIT SPONSORS |
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The Foundation recognizes and thanks the generous sponsors of the
2021 Virtual Annual Scholarship Benefit.
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