Kaplan Educational Foundation announces 24-25 Leadership Scholars to empower community college students
The Kaplan Educational Foundation (KEF) has announced its newest cohort of scholars accepted into the Kaplan Leadership Program (KLP) for the 2024-2025 academic year.
The program, launched in 2006, provides support for high-potential, low-income community college students to complete their associate degrees and transfer to top-tier four-year institutions.
Supporting community college students toward Bachelor’s Degrees
The Kaplan Leadership Program offers resources such as living stipends, tutoring, academic advising, leadership training, and career development to help students achieve their academic and personal goals.
The program aims to address the challenges faced by many community college students, especially those from underserved backgrounds, by improving their transfer success rates and future leadership potential.
The scholars selected for the 2024-2025 academic year include:
Emily Blanco (Borough of Manhattan Community College)
Marco Alvarez (Hostos Community College)
Melanie Jerez (Queensborough Community College)
Minerva Ramirez Sencion (Hostos Community College)
William (Liam) Lotz (Kingsborough Community College)
Sabreen Qaisar (Queensborough Community College)
Samir Perez (UCNJ Union College of Union County, NJ)
Shaheim Kellum (Borough of Manhattan Community College)
Joseph Sahap (Borough of Manhattan Community College)
Tymika Lawrence (Borough of Manhattan Community College)
Tabia Tarannum (LaGuardia Community College)
Expanding opportunities through leadership
Nolvia Delgado, Executive Director of KEF, highlighted the strength of this year’s applicant pool and the significance of the program:
“We had an incredibly strong applicant pool this year, which made our final selection process extremely challenging, so we’re thrilled to welcome this exceptional cohort and excited to see the impact they will make in the wider community.
“They follow in the footsteps of KLP graduates who today are practicing law and medicine, conducting scientific research, working in business, education and engineering, and leading in government, and public and private industries.”
KLP alumni have pursued successful careers in fields such as law, medicine, engineering, education, and public service, attending prestigious institutions such as Yale, Princeton, and Stanford.
Earlier this year, KEF received a grant from the Ichigo Foundation to establish the Community College Bridge Program, which helps high school students prepare for the transition to community college and positions them for success in transferring to and graduating from four-year institutions.
Delgado emphasized KEF’s ongoing commitment to removing barriers for students:
“Our scholars reinforce the fact that community colleges are rich with diverse, resilient, talented students with leadership potential, when given the opportunities to succeed. We remain committed to our mission to remove barriers and provide greater access to higher education for our newest cohort of talented, motivated individuals."
