Last week, the Jersey City First Foundation, in conjunction with the Sandra and Glenn D. Cunningham Foundation, held a luncheon Tuesday at the Pointe Restaurant on Chapel Avenue in honor of students receiving scholarships from both foundations.
Late State Sen. and Jersey City Mayor Glenn Cunningham was a major proponent of education during his life. He was an advocate for reading and the study of African-American history, and he lectured on criminal justice at Jersey City State College (now New Jersey City University).
Cunningham started Jersey City First, a scholarship foundation, in 2000 for Jersey City high school students going on to higher education. The foundation was formed with the assistance from Cunningham’s longtime friends and political advisers Bobby Jackson and Joseph Cardwell.
The two of them attended the luncheon along with Sandra Bolden Cunningham, who started the Cunningham Foundation with her husband in 2001. The program has several aims: it helps minority men and women interested in taking the test for joining the Jersey City Police Department, provides computers for the city’s senior citizen buildings, and helps high school students attend college.A total of 15 college-bound students were awarded scholarships, most receiving a total of $1,500 with some getting $2,500.
The scholarships awarded by the Cunningham Foundation went to: Rafael Rios, Lizette Matias, Azamir Green, Tanisha Lewis, Amanda McCollum, Charlene Bishop-Melvin, Ashley McCord and Crystal Johnson. The Jersey City First recipients are: Sahde Mays, Esther R. Raghbeer, Bianca Mojica, Sierra Merritt, James St. Germain, Arpita Shah and Jeslyn Garcia.
In order to qualify for the scholarships from both foundations, students have to submit an application form followed by interviews with the Board of Trustees of the respective foundations. Came from election fund
Addressing the guests at the luncheon, Sandra Cunningham said, “There are a lot of young people who need help going to college and there are a lot of young people who are not getting an A or B in [high school], but they have the potential to do very well in a college setting,” said Cunningham. “We wanted to reach out to those young people and give them an opportunity to go to college.”
Those receiving a scholarship will be assigned a mentor who will guide them through four years of college.
Some of the money came from $300,000 in political funds raised by the mayor months before his passing. The state’s election commission had approved the transfer of the funds. Better to receive
The seven Jersey City First scholarships were distributed to five students in the Jersey City school system and two attending other schools, but all are residents.
One of the scholarship recipients, 17-year old Bianca Mojica, graduated from Union Catholic Regional High School in Plainfield and resides in Downtown Jersey City. Mojica will attend the University of Delaware, where she will double major in communications and international relations.
“You had to write an essay, get a personal recommendation and provide a transcript and I started doing all that in November,” said Mojica. “I was very excited, thrilled when I found out about a month ago.”
Her mother, Bianca LeBron, was excited also, as she pointed out that Bianca is the first member from her family to attend college.
Seven of the eight Cunningham Foundation scholarships were awarded to students from the late mayor’s alma mater, Snyder High School, and one to a student from CREATE Charter School in Jersey City.
That student, Azamir Green, said she wrote a letter to Sandra Cunningham late last year asking her help for scholarships. Green got more than help.
“I found out about a week before graduation that I received a scholarship,” said Green, who graduated in June. “It feels great; it’s wonderful since it helps me a lot for the school year.”
Green will be attending Cheyney State University in Pennsylvania where she will major in communications, aspiring for a career as a radio host. For more information about the Sandra and Glenn D. Cunningham Foundation Scholarships, call (201) 433-3487.