Fifth Year Anniversary - Stephanie Marie Burgos March 1, 1989 - September 15, 2005

Stephanie,

You have always wanted to be a star
Now is your time to sing to the angels
and earn your star.

When we all look up to the sky,
We all will then see the brightest star,
and know you've made it.

We will always Love You, Stephanie.

~Silvia Agrinsoni, mom 9/2005


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Too Young To Die

I wonder if they saw her

I wonder if they cared

I wonder if they even knew that she was there

She knew that it was dark

When she crossed that street

I wonder if she even heard those tires squeak.

I wonder how she felt

Lying in that room

Never knowing that her life

Would be over so soon

But even though she might not know

I still can't tell a lie

The thing that hurts me most is

She was too young to die

Just a high school sophomore

With dreams waiting to fly.

Now her life has stopped

Her blood has ceased to flow

I still can't understand

and I want to know

Why she dies that morning

and why I can't let go

I hardly even knew her

But it still makes me cry

When I think of this one fact:

She was too young to die



Author: E.S. McLaughlin 10/9/05

www.fictionpress.com/read.php?storyid=2009946

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Dearest Stephanie,

You were once a sparkling eyed vibrant young child who grew up to be
one beautiful, talented and sweet young lady.

Your life was cut way to short and your dreams were not fulfilled by you but
know that because of you this scholarship was created and many will be
fulfilling what was once your dream. Your star will shine forever.

Although our hearts bleed from losing you so quickly we know someday
we will meet again. We love and miss you sweetheart.

Love,
Your Aunt Titi Diana 9/14/10

Recepient Update: Our Second Recepient, Richard Bohan September 2010

September 10, 2010

To the Family of Stephanie Burgos,

I would like to thank you again for having chosen me to receive this scholarship, and would like to apologize for being a knuckle-head and not writing to you sooner! However, this year was such a whirlwind that, in retrospect, I could not have written a satisfactory letter without enough time to reflect.

The college I picked is everything I dreamed of, and more, I wish you guys could see how amazing the countryside of upstate New York is, stark but beautiful contrast to our own wonderful city. Though many students refer to St. Lawrence University as the epitome of "the middle of nowhere", I think they underestimate how much its quiet and serene environment can impact a kid who grew up in a neighborhood known for being loud. Not that I did not love New York City, but I needed a real lesson on autonomy, what puts the liberal arts, and that in a nutshell is St. Lawrence University.

I gained a new sense of independence not simply by living away from home (although it did help), but also having the opportunity to explore my many passions and dreams through this school. Yes, it certainly is very far away from any big city, but I appreciate that it is free from distractions, as it is a place built primarily on the principle of enriching knowledge. The small classrooms kicked me into gear, as I made an effort to let my opinions and ideas be heard. I made an effort to not only absorb the material in all my classes, but to also contribute to it, which made me realize how learning is very much a collaborative effort.

You will be proud to know that not only did I focus on my studies and maintained a good average, but I also pursued a social life with very wonderful, educated people from all parts of the country and from different sides of the world! Through my network of friends, I was able to travel to a lot of new and interesting places. I visited Vermont with my roommate, and went to the city of Burlington. I visited Canada twice, even the St. Lawrence River and its amazing thousand islands. However, my most memorable experience was going to Washington DC, as I participated in the National Equality March, which supported equal rights for the LBGT community. It was my first work of real activism, and felt like a part of history. As I write this, I am already planning on going next semester to London. Our school has an amazing study abroad program that gives students from low income families, such as myself, the opportunity to visit other countries and learn about different cultures.

Though London has always been a dream of mine, I was hesitant to apply at first because it is a lot of pressure. I wondered to myself, what if I don't get in? Then, I thought back to awards nite in Grover Cleveland, and receiving the Stephanie Marie Burgos Scholarship. I thought about the brave girl who could have achieved her dreams, if it were not for tragedy. There are many who could have been in my place, and seized the opportunity straight away; I could not let the people who believed in me, such as yourselves, down... So I have begun the application process. I have also begun working longer shifts as the Deli at our school, in order to afford the plane ticket to London. I will do whatever it takes to achieve my dreams, because I realize that life is precious to not even try.

Wish me luck,

Richard Bohan

Recepient Update: Our First Recepient, Christine Rivas May 2010

May 5, 2010

Hello Stephanie's Family,

Things have changed a lot for me since I last wrote you. First, I have officially declared my major. I am now working on my Bachelors in Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing. Its a concentration in the wider scale B.A. in English degree, with a few extra classes I have to take for the concentration. I've already taken Playwriting and I've decided I want to use my college education to become a professional screenwriter. I finished my very first script in that class, and I'm working on revising it. It's a play off Romeo and Juilet, with a twist of Alice in Wonderland. It was very interesting experience to write and think in the shoes of classic characters like that, and I think the finished product will turn out really well.



I also got a job over the winter break, which I've been at for a few now, since I started in the beginning of December. I work at a Saturday day habilitation program at OSAC office in Jamaica, working with autistic kids. I can't even begin to tell you how much I like that job. It's a rewarding experience to be able to say I've worked with these kids and that I know them every week, even if it's only for four hours on a Saturday.



One of the big things I've done this year is to get involved with the student life at school. Over the fall term, I joined the art club, where I learned a lot about studio art and learned a very real way that anything can be art. (I met someone in the art club that made a medieval shield out of an old satellite dish.) With the art club, I went to the medieval fair in Fort Tryon Park, represented them at a club fair, and had the experience of hanging something I had made at a school art gallery, which was fun because I got to put something I'd made out there for people to see, and that's something I did this year that I'm really proud of. I also joined the Brooklyn College Chorale and I got to sing with them at a concert with the orchestra accompanying us, which was a huge thing for me, because I'd never sang for an audience that big before.



This semester, I started on one of the craziest and strangely rewarding journeys of my life. I have been pledging Alpha Sigma Sorority for almost eight weeks now. My pledging name is Smilie (I'm not sure why they picked this, but my guess is because they know I like to write), and have three other pledge sisters who I've gotten very close to. Pledging isn't like the media protrays it to be, but at the same time it is. Over the past eight weeks I've had to do some crazy things, but I'm learning about the process, about what it means to be there for someone no matter what, and about myself. This wasn't something I ever thought I would do, but now that I have started and I'm in the middle of it, I'm really proud of myself for being able to stick through it no matter how hard it is.



This year has been really eventful for me, but I'm happy to say I'm doing a lot of things I'm proud of, and although I've been really busy, it's been pretty worth it, and I'm really glad I got to tell you guys about it.



Sincerely,


Christine Rivas