WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES MAY 30, 2019 25
Find a furry friend at adoption fair
LaGuardia students named Cooke scholars
BY BILL PARRY
BPARRY@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@RIDGEWOODTIMES
Two LaGuardia Community
College students were recently
selected as 2019 Jack Kent Cooke
Undergraduate Transfer Scholars.
Matthew Wilson, 38, and
Sukhrob Abdushukorov, 22, are
two of only 61 community college
students from across the U.S.
selected for this prestigious and
highly competitive scholarship,
which provides up to $40,000 per
year towards the completion of a
bachelor’s degree.
“We are incredibly proud of
Matthew and Sukhrob on their
selection as 2019 Jack Kent Cooke
Scholars, which not only reflects
their individual achievements, but
also the dedication of our faculty
and staff who mentored them and
supported their applications,”
LaGuardia Community College
President Gail O. Mellow said.
“Too many low-income students,
who disproportionately make up
student populations at community
colleges, are unable to finish their
bachelor’s due to financial burdens.
It’s especially meaningful that
Matthew is pursuing his college
studies in his late 30s while
raising two children, with support
like this from the Jack Kent Cooke
Foundation, parents who want to
make better lives for themselves
and their families, and are able to
do so.”
With the selection of Wilson and
Abdushukurov, LaGuardia has
had 11 Cooke scholars since 2006,
three of whom also received Cooke
Graduate Scholarships. The Jack
Kent Cooke Foundation is dedicated
to advancing the education of
exceptionally promising students
who have financial need.
“Matthew and Sukhrob are
remarkable in their own way
for their drive, resilience, and
intellectual talents; their Cooke
success is truly inspiring,”
LaGuardia Community College
Honors Program Director Karlyn
Koh, Ph.D, said. “Also inspiring
are the many meaningful support
networks, opportunities, and
advising & mentoring avenues
found at LaGuardia, all of which
have lifted these scholars closer to
their dreams.”
Wilson, a film and television
major, came to LaGuardia through
the CUNY Fatherhood Academy
which helps fathers get on track
with education and employment.
He has an 18-year-old son and 11-
month-old daughter and secured
a competitive internship spot at
NBC. Wilson has been accepted
at Queens College and York
College and he is also considering
Columbia, NYU, and Long Island
University as transfer options to
pursue his passion for moving
images.
Abdushukurov is a psychology
major born in Uzbekistan who
speaks English, Uzbek, Tadjik,
Russian and german. He moved
to the U.S. three years ago, and
shortly thereafter, began his
academic journey at LaGuardia.
In his future career, he plans
to use psychology to develop
an interdisciplinary approach
to education. He has applied to
Amherst, Swarthmore, Cornell,
and Wesleyan, amongst other
four-year colleges.
“Our recent ‘Persistence’ report
highlights the vast potential, and
achievements, of community
college transfer students, who
go on to outperform their nontransfer
peers at selective fouryear
institutions,” Jack Kent Cooke
Foundation Executive Director
Seppy Basili said. “In an era where
many high-achieving students
often begin their higher education
journey in community college,
the Foundation is committed to
enabling these transfer students
to pursue their academic dreams
at the nation’s top colleges and
universities.”
Nearly 1,500 students applied
for the 2019 Cooke Undergraduate
Transfer Scholarship. The
recipients selected represent 18
different state and have a median
household adjusted gross income
of $28,000 and an average GPA of
3.93,
“I thank the many at LaGuardia
who worked so hard to nurture
and support not just these Cooke
scholars, but also the other talented
and motivated students who
applied for the Cooke scholarship
this past year,” Koh said. “The
work of sustaining a culture that
empowers all students, including
the high-achieving ones, is the
labor of many.”
BUZZ
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
CMOHAMED@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@RIDGEWOODTIMES
The Richmond Hill Block
Association (RHBA) will host its
12th Annual Pet Adoption Fair
on Saturday, June 15, from noon to 4
p.m. at the Buddy
Plaza in Forest Park, located at the
intersection of Myrtle Avenue and
Park Lane South.
RHBA will be working in
conjunction with the ASPCA, Animal
Care Centers of New York City and
Heavenly Angels Rescue. Dogs and
cats (spayed and neutered) will
be available for adoption and/or
fostering.
“We never really know how many
pets the rescue groups will bring,”
said Paul Bankert of RHBA, a
community organization that strives
to improve the quality of life for its
residents. “Usually, there’s a good
mix of dogs and cats. Our goal is to
see as many pets adopted as possible.
We average 11 pets adopted during
our four hour event, but have seen
as many as 15 pets find their forever
homes.”
In their previous events, the
association has helped more than
110 pets find their forever homes,
according to Bankert.
Adopting individuals and families
will receive pet supplies — a bowl,
leash, collar or a litter box and scoop,
and a pet toy (while supplies last) —
donated by volunteers from RHBA.
The RHBA monthly meeting on
Wednesday, May 29, will feature a
guest speaker from Animal Care
Centers of New York. Residents are
welcomed to stop by at 110-08 Jamaica
Ave. at 7 p.m.
For more information on the Pet
Adoption Fair the RHBA can be
reached at 718-849-3759.
The Richmond Hill Block Association will be hosting its 12th Annual Pet
Adoption Fair on June 15 at the Forest Park Buddy Monument Plaza.
Photo courtesy of The Richmond Hill Block Association
LaGuardia Community College
student Matthew Wilson juggles
his studies with an internship
and two children. Courtesy
of LaGuardia Community College
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