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The Massachusetts Coalition for Adult Education (MCAE) recently presented the 2020 Ruth E. Derfler Memorial Scholarship to Stephania Joseph of Roxbury, MA. Ms. Joseph is an adult basic education program (ABE) graduate, who completed a transition to college program at El Centro del Cardenal in Jamaica Plain and is now enrolled at Urban College of Boston.


    


Said Roberta Soolman, MCAE Board Chair: "It is our honor and pleasure to award the 2020 Ruth E. Derfler Scholarship to Stephania Joseph who has repeatedly demonstrated her strength, resilience and faith in the future." A victim of domestic violence while growing up in Haiti and losing both parents by the time she was 12, Ms. Joseph was raised by one of her teachers until she finished high school. Conditions in Haiti made it impossible for her to continue her studies there, and she emigrated to the U.S. in 2018 and currently lives in a shelter with her young daughter. Working toward becoming a nurse , Ms. Joseph stated in her scholarship application: "I am motivated and determined to continue my education due to the fact that I believe education is the most powerful weapon I can use to change my environment. I always dream about continuing my education since it can provide the most opportunities to accomplish my goals." In addition to her studies at El Centro, Ms. Joseph established a Haitian Leadership Council to help fellow Haitian students enter academic programs and realize their potential.
 
The Ruth E. Derfler Memorial Scholarship was established by the MCAE Board of Directors in 2017 in Ms. Derfler's memory to honor her decades of leadership and commitment to adult basic education. A former Director of High School Equivalency at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and Past President of MCAE, Ms. Derfler was a beloved colleague and an advocate for countless adult basic education staff and students for more than 40 years. Each year, the scholarship is presented to an adult student who has completed their studies at a Massachusetts ABE program and has been accepted by a college, community college, university, or technical training program. The award finalists are nominated by teachers and staff for having achieved academic success in their adult basic education programs, assuming leadership roles in their communities and classrooms, persisting in the face of challenges, and formulating clear goals for their future education plans. The award is funded through the generosity of individual donors.