46 THE QUEENS COURIER • BUZZ • OCTOBER 29, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
buzz
Photo courtesy of Rising Stars Youth Foundation
Six Queens high school students announced as
Rising Stars Youth Foundation scholar athletes
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Th ey have hoop dreams and academic
dreams.
Six Queens high school students were
awarded scholarships by the Rising Stars
Youth Foundation to attend prestigious
schools in New York City and beyond
to reach their full academic and athletic
potential.
Th e Rising Stars Youth Foundation
— the leading charitable program that
builds character, promotes education
and reinforces important values
through a unifying interest in basketball
— announced its incoming high school
scholars for fall 2020.
Th e six Queens ninth-grade scholars
are Carlos Urena and Dennis Inga from
Monsignor McClancy Memorial High
School in East Elmhurst; Tyler Michel,
Jonathan Medley and Hayden Cutile of
St. Francis Preparatory High School in
Fresh Meadows; and Darren Marchong
of Archbishop Molloy High School in
Briarwood.
Dan Gimpel, executive director of the
Rising Stars Youth Foundation, said the
organization transforms young lives,
allowing boys and girls to obtain academic
opportunities in high school or
prep school — and ultimately college
— that may have otherwise been out of
reach.
“Rising Stars does this as a youth sports
and empowerment organization that puts
education fi rst,” Gimpel said.“For over 20
years, Rising Stars has utilized the power
of teams and a love of basketball as a
vehicle to promote education, reinforce
positive values, and provide a safe environment
to play, learn and grow.”
Every year, the Rising Stars Youth
Foundation carefully evaluates applications
from students with both academic
and athletic promise for scholarships
— entirely funded by donors — to attend
some of the best private schools with
basketball programs in New York City,
Long Island and even out of New York
state.
“Th e scholar athletes receive so much
more than tuition assistance; they are
being given all the tools needed for success,”
said Emily Ades, director of education
of the Rising Stars Youth Foundation.
“Th is program changes lives!”
According to Ades, 95 percent of their
scholars are honor roll students, including
kids who struggled in school before
becoming a Rising Stars Scholar.
Tim Th ornton, a lifetime board member
of the Rising Stars Youth Foundation,
said Rising Stars bridges the social class
opportunity gap, enabling students to
attend prestigious private schools they
never thought could be possible.
“Many participants over the years live
in areas where the high school graduation
rate is less than 75 percent or they
have challenging family circumstances
such as single-parent and/or low-income
households,” Th ornton said.
Th e new Rising Stars Youth Foundation
Fall 2020 Scholar Athletes each shared
their dreams and aspirations while
extending gratitude to the organization.
Dennis Inga, Ninth grade, of
Elmhurst, attends Monsignor
McClancy Memorial High School
“My passion is playing basketball and
listening to music,” Inga said. “My goals
are to work hard, go D1 in basketball
and own multiple businesses. My dream
is to inspire other people to work hard,”
said Inga.
Carlos Urena, Ninth grade, of
Corona, attends Monsignor
McClancy Memorial High School
“I am a Rising Stars scholar and play
for the ninth grade basketball team,”
Urena said. “My passion in life is to
be great, become an inspiration for the
future, and repay my parents and loved
ones for all they did and sacrifi ced for
me. My ultimate goal in life is to eventually
become a professional basketball
player. Th ank you Rising Stars for all the
love and support!”
Darren Marchong, Ninth grade,
of Far Rockaway, attends
Archbishop Molloy High School
“I would describe myself as a hard
worker,” Marchong said. “I let my success
speak for me. I’m a scholar and an athlete.
You give me the ball, and I will run,
whether it’s in the classroom, virtually
or on the court. I always consider things
thoroughly, and rarely act blindly.”
Jonathan Medley, 11th grade,
of Laurelton, attends St.
Francis Preparatory School
“As a young basketball player, my dream
has always been to make it to the NBA,”
said Medley. “If I don’t make it to the NBA,
however, I would love to become a sports
commentator as this would allow me to
remain involved in the sport that I love.
My main goal overall though is to just be
able to help my family and others in the
future as I mature into the best man I can
possibly be.”
Hayden Cutile, Ninth grade,
of Bellerose, attends St.
Francis Preparatory School
“My goal is to be successful in high
school and to have the opportunity to play
D1 college basketball and to earn a college
degree,” Cutile said. “Th is has been
my goal ever since I started playing basketball.”
Tyler Michel, Ninth grade, of
Cambria Heights, attends St.
Francis Preparatory School
“I have a very strong passion and love
for basketball,” Michel said. “I love the
game for what it has taught me on and off
the court. I have goals of having a very successful
basketball career and using what
I have to learn to help others, especially
those that may not have been granted the
same opportunities as I am so fortunate to
have. I have dreams to make it to the NBA
one day and, most importantly, dreams of
making an impact on my community.”
link
/WWW.QNS.COM
link
