2021 State of the College & Foundation Annual Report

28 WESTCHESTER COMMUNITY COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS Scholarship Transition With generous donor support, the WCC Foundation now distributes over $2 million in scholarship awards annually. This very significant milestone has prompted us to re-consider the way we make our scholarship awards. In order to support the largest number of deserving students, we merged the functions of our Scholarship and Financial Aid offices into a new Office of Student Financial Assistance. This “one stop center” will guarantee that more students are considered for all financial opportunities, allow us to provide a complete financial assistance package as early as possible, and enable more students to pursue an education at WCC and beyond. During the 2019-2020 academic year, the WCC Foundation awarded over $2 million in scholarship awards to 1,500 students. Because of the COVID 19 Pandemic, our annual Scholarship Recognition Ceremony was hosted virtually. 29 STATE OF THE COLLEGE 2021 InMemory of Martha Nierenberg Scientist, businesswoman, art collector, and philanthropist, WCC Foundation Board Member Martha Nierenberg passed away at the age of 96 in June 2020. She was an indomitable presence on our Board. Born in Budapest in 1924 to the industrialist Manfred Weiss family, she escaped Hungary during the Nazi invasion in March 1944 and emigrated to the USA in December 1945. She received a Master of Science degree in Biochemistry from Radcliffe College and went on to do research at Rockefeller Institute in Manhattan. In 1954 with her husband Theodore, she founded DANSK International Designs, bringing an innovative sleek Scandinavian modern look to home furnishings. She and her husband believed in the power of education to change lives and communities, and Martha made a $1 million bequest to the WCC Foundation to permanently endow the Martha & Ted Nierenberg Memorial Endowed Scholarships. These awards are presented to deserving students, with preference for those demonstrating financial need. Her legacy will live on at WCC. Thank You Letters Fromour Metallica Scholars I am a divorced and single mother trying to better my financial situation and future. For the past seven years I have worked full time as a medical assistant at a dermatologist office. Although I have found the field so satisfying and fulfilling to me. I have discovered without specific certifications in the medical technology, I am not qualified to make but a bare minimum salary. Your grant will assist me to get the education I desperately need to make an adequate income to sup- port my son who just started his freshman year at The Watson School of Engineering at Binghamton University. Your thoughtfulness and kindness in making sure people like myself can continue to better ourselves financially deserve more than just this heartfelt thank you. It deserves my promise that I will pass this kindness on to some other needy person when I am in a better position. RUTH SPENCE , EKG and Phlebotomy Certification candidate I am so thankful to have been one of the recipients of this Metallica Scholarship. I am currently taking a medical assistant class so I can work and gain experience before applying to a physician assistant school, which is my main goal. I just graduated college this year and can’t wait to be more successful and make my parents proud since I am the first generation that went to college. My parents have always supported me emotionally and financially, and receiving this scholarship has made my parents and me feel very thankful because education is not cheap but it is all worth it. This award means so much because every penny counts and now instead of using our money to purchase the exam, we can use it to help buy scrubs I will be needing once I pass the exam and find a job. I know my future holds tons of blessings and this is just one of them. KAREN SANCHEZ , Phlebotomy Certification candidate