36 THE QUEENS COURIER • GRADUATION • JUNE 7, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
graduation
Pomp and circumstance for Queens College
Queens College President Félix V.
Matos Rodríguez (second from left ) presided
over the school’s 94th commencement
ceremony on Th ursday, May 31,
with an audience that numbered more
than 10,000, including over 2,600 degree
candidates.
He is pictured here with alumni and
honorary degree recipients (from left to
right) Mattel CEO and philanthropist Jill
Barad ’73, who broke the glass ceiling to
lead a Fortune 500 company; Cristina
Jiménez Moreta ’07, this year’s commencement
speaker, a 2017 MacArthur
“Genius Award” Recipient, one of Time
magazine’s 100 Most Infl uential People
of 2018, and the cofounder of United
We Dream; and renowned math educator
Alan Schoenfeld ’68, who holds the
Elizabeth and Edward Conner Chair in
the Graduate School of Education at the
University of California, Berkeley.
Queens College awarded over 4,300
undergraduate and graduate degrees this
year to candidates from summer and
fall 2017 and spring 2018. Of those were
over 3,200 bachelor’s degrees, the highest
number awarded in over fi ve years.
Congratulations!
Congratulations, Ryan,on graduating
from M.S. 158. May you continue
to excel and succeed in all your endeavors!
Love, Mom and Dad
Congratulations!
Congratulations, Tabitha, on your
graduation from M.S. 158! We are so
proud of you and all your achievements.
Looking forward to your continued
success in high school and beyond!
Love, Mom & Dad
Photo courtesy of Queens College
Through service, sports and dance, this Townsend
Harris HS student in Queens earns scholarship
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
edavenport@qns.com / @QNS
Josselyn Navas, a student at Townsend
Harris High School in Flushing, is one
of six New York City students that will
join the 2018 class of Milken Scholars.
Since 1989, the Milken Scholars have
honored exceptional young men and
women who have demonstrated the
potential to make a profound difference
in the world. As of 2018, more
than 400 Milken Scholars from a variety
of backgrounds have been selected
from over 175 high schools in Los
Angeles County, New York City and
Washington, D.C.
In additional to receiving a $10,000
scholarship, Navas will receive a lifelong
support system that can assist
her pursuit of any post-undergraduate
career goals, including career-related
counseling and opportunities for community
service and internships.
“The Milken Scholars Program provides
a lifelong support network for
the best and brightest young minds
throughout their academic and professional
careers,” according to Phyllis
and Sidney Bresler and the Robert
I. Schattner Foundation Inc., which
helps to sponsor the New York City
Milken Scholars. “These young men
and women faced adversity most would
find crippling, yet persevered and are
positioning themselves to be the future
leaders in their communities and
beyond.”
A National Hispanic Scholar, Navas
belongs to the National Honor Society.
She earned a Summa Cum Laude
Award and a perfect score on the
National Latin Exam.
Every morning, Navas walks her
younger brother to school before taking
on her own busy day of learning
and extracurricular activities. In addition
to captaining her school’s varsity
volleyball team and serving as first
chair alto clarinet, Navas tutors young
students in math and science and contributes
some of her earnings for her
brother’s child care.
For the past four years, Navas has
participated in Townsend Harris High
School’s multicultural dance performance,
Festival of Nations. In addition
to teaching her peers to salsa and
merengue as the festival’s Hispanic
group head choreographer and instructor,
Navas has also joined in the Korean
and Punjabi performances.
After gaining a strong interest in Sikh
religion and Punjabi culture, Navas
began to emcee fundraising events
and performed on the bhangra dance
team for the Sikh Student Association.
She volunteered last summer at the
Gurdwara Sikh Cultural Society, where
she took Sikh camp classes in exchange
for preparing and serving lunch.
Navas will be attending the University
of Chicago this coming fall. She will
study economics and plans on a career
in policy planning.
In addition to joining the Milken
Scholars, Navas received the
QuestBridge National College Match
Scholarship and the University of
Chicago’s Odyssey Scholarship.
“In the nearly three decades since
Lori and I cofounded the Milken
Scholars program, these leaders of
tomorrow have consistently inspired
us by their achievements, leadership
and dedication to service,” said Milken
Institute Chairman Mike Milken. “This
year’s class of outstanding New York
Scholars is no exception. In welcoming
them to the Milken Scholars family,
we are confident they can change
the world.”
For more information about the
Milken Scholars Program, visit www.
MilkenScholars.org.
Photo courtesy of the Milken Scholars
link
/www.MilkenScholars.org
/www.MilkenScholars.org
