Scholar #7 Lisaul Diaz Update

My name is Lisaul Diaz and I am currently a junior at the University at Albany. I am currently an intended Biology major. 

I've been attending UAlbany for about five semester now and I've been a part of many organizations. First, I've been a part of the Living-Learning communities my freshman year of college, where I later chose to run and obtain a leadership position. 

Then, I decided to be a part of the mixed martial arts club at my university, where I continue to train and be a part of my university's community.

Now, I continue to pursue my academics and thanks to this scholarship, I am able to worry less about the financial burden that comes with college and also to able to focus more on my studies. As I come closer and closer to graduating college, I appreciate this scholarship more and more, and I am strongly grateful and thankful for that. 

I plan on graduating on May of 2018 with a bachelor's in Biology.

Scholar #6 Marianna Beaute Update

Dear S.M.B.S. Board, 

            This past year I served as Vice President of B.O.S.S. We held various events and meetings throughout campus, attended conferences, and as VP, my leadership skills evolve. I enjoy delegating tasks, providing support to club members, having the chance to meet other leaders, faculty, and peers on campus and having my voice heard.  It was one of my greatest accomplishments this semester. I also delved into my education minor courses, which required me to complete fieldwork. I spent over 60 hours at West Side Collaborative in the Upper West Side helping middle schoolers in math as well as being a resource to my cooperating teachers.  This experience has made my purpose even more clear; I love teaching and being able to help students see and meet their potential.

            This past summer, I interned as a marketing assistant and volunteered teaching children English in Paris. It was my first time leaving the country to visit somewhere else other than my native country, Haiti. I studied French for about 4 years, but always really wanted to master the language, a swell as experience the Parisian culture. Moreso, I wanted to get away from home for time to reflect on my successes, failures, and hopes. Thus, I convinced my parents to buy me a ticket and luckily they did. I spent two months in the city of love, even though I beg to differ, walking the streets of Paris and other neighboring cities, eating as many crepes and pastries as possible, people-watching, visiting monumental sites, and speaking the language. I made comparisons between the healthcare system, poverty, shopping, education system, and the architecture. For two months, I was Parisian and I loved it! I can’t wait to go back. Overall, I really saw what it meant when people say “the world is your oyster.” Upon my arrival in the U.S., I couldn’t believe that these same two feet that stood under the Eiffel Tower, and knelt in the Notre Dame, would now be walking the streets of Brooklyn.

            Currently, I am taking courses at Brooklyn College with the hopes of returning to Barnard in the spring as a senior, as well as developing my own not-for- profit organization.

All the best,

Marianna

Scholar #5 - Alex Martin Update-New Chapter

Dear Stephanie Marie Burgos Foundation,

            I have graduated from St. Lawrence University with a Bachelor’s of Arts in Music. It has been a journey and my most proud accomplishment. I did more than I thought I could achieve prior to getting to school. I have overcome the normal developmental plights of transitioning from boyhood to manhood and am ready for the next mountains life would like to put in front of me.

            Four and a half years ago if you told me that I would go to Europe for four months, meet state legislators, remain fit, be a Community Assistant, buy a car, and graduate with a plethora of new skills and connections I’d probably not believe you. This education has given me a sense of responsibility to do something right and productive. Fulfilling the Peer Development Director position is an undertaking I do not take lightly and see as an opportunity to gain more skills because of what it entails. I believe in the work being done with the foundation and I plan on continuing it.

            I’ve come out with an overall more professional demeanor, a basic bureaucratic blueprint of how the world works, appreciation for what I was granted, and a drive to thrive. I want to succeed badly and school has given me the basic tools to do so. I thank you all for your continued support and am looking forward to our new accomplishments.

All the best,

Alex Martin

     

It is honor to have Alex Martin in 2016 

as our new S.M.B.S. Board member 

and Peer Mentoring Director!

Thank you Alex for allowing us to see you grow

into such an amazing individual and

sharing your talents with our organization.