WWW.6 FEBRUARY 18, 2021 RIDGEWOOD TIMES QNS.COM
Students with autism can apply for scholarship honoring Rego Park teen
BY BILL PARRY
BPARRY@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
Applications are open for the
sixth annual Avonte Oquendo
Memorial Scholarship, named
in honor of the 14-year-old Rego
Park boy with autism who tragically
drowned in the East River in 2013.
Thousands took part in an exhaustive
4 ½-month search in western
Queens after the boy vanished from
the Riverview School in Long Island
City and his body was discovered on
the shore of College Point.
The scholarship awards $5,000 to
a student on the autism spectrum
or a student who has a close family
member with autism to pursue
higher education, a cause important
to the Oquendo family and the law
firm that represented them.
“I am honored that our firm has
been able to make a difference in the
lives of autistic students and their
families who are seeking higher
education opportunities for the past
five years and we are proud to offer
the scholarships for a sixth year at a
time where financial and educational
support for this community is more
important than ever,” Attorney David
Perecman said. “As an attorney,
I’ve seen how higher education is not
only a tool for personal development,
but also a means by which individuals
can better their own lives and
ultimately shape and improve their
communities. We want higher education
opportunities to be accessible
to all students, especially those who
have autism and often face obstacles
that other students do not.”
The attorneys at The Perecman
Firm, who represented the boy’s
mother Vanessa Fontaine in a wrongful
death lawsuit, have committed to
keeping his story alive and helping
students pursue higher education,
something many in the autism community
are not able to make possible
due to the rising costs of higher
education.
Perecman also helped the family
pass Avonte’s Law, city legislation
aimed to increase the safety of autistic
students who are more likely
to wander from schools. Under the
law, which passed in 2014, the Department
of Education is required
to evaluate the need for alarms on
exterior doors at elementary schools
and schools serving students with
autism and other special needs.
A federal initiative, “Kevin and
Avonte’s Law,” was passed in 2018 to
provide resources to assist in planning,
establishing and operating
programs to prevent wandering and
to locate missing individuals with
forms of dementia or developmental
disabilities such as autism.
“The outpouring support that
followed Avonte’s tragic passing
has deeply touched me and the
other members of our firm,” Perecman
said. “We are proud to honor
Avonte’s life by providing support
to students and families affected by
autism through the annual Avonte
Oquendo Memorial Scholarship.”
To be eligible for the scholarship,
applicants must be currently enrolled
in or accepted to an accredited
higher-level education institution
for an undergraduate or postgraduate
program; complete an application
form; provide academic transcripts;
and submit an essay on one of three
provided prompts. For more information,
visit the firm’s website.
Applications for the annual Avonte Oquendo scholarships are open to
students with autism. QNS fi le photo
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