feature stories

227 happy endings

by Jim Callaghan

Jun 29, 2009 4:38 PM

UFT Shanker Scholarship winners ‘revel in their accomplishments’

The UFT gave away $1 million in scholarship awards on June 4 to the young men and women of the city’s public schools.

And when it was announced that the first job in broadcasting of NBC News anchor DeMarco Morgan, the event’s guest speaker, took him through the streets of New York City in his efforts to find “fascinating stories” about everyday New Yorkers, he looked out and saw 227 students, each with their own fascinating New York City story.

The UFT Albert Shanker Scholarship Fund ceremony this year, which marked the 40th anniversary of the program, was moved from union headquarters to Stuyvesant HS, named after the last Dutch director-general of the New Netherland colony. Stuyvesant was a man who understood the importance of education. In 1660, he said, “Nothing is of greater importance than the early instruction of youth.” He backed up his words with action, building two free elementary schools. He also issued licenses to 28 “Masters of School.”

The masters of the school system —UFT educators — showed up not to bask in the spotlight but to celebrate a New York tale with a happy ending. They knew that the night belonged to their students, who were told by UFT Vice President Michael Mulgrew to “revel in their accomplishments.”

There were hugs, handshakes and tears aplenty as the college-bound students said goodbye to their favorite teachers and guidance counselors. One graduate of Fort Hamilton HS, Jason Ko, even wrote a letter about his guidance counselor, Joann Porto. He said that he and his classmates “will be secretly dripping tears of regret” over the fact that Porto is retiring this year.

Over the years, the students who have received scholarships, which are based on financial need, have overcome all manner of difficulties, including but not limited to poverty, religious and political persecution in the land of their birth, hunger, sickness, war, famine and the death of parents and loved ones. This year’s awardees are walking examples of the unbridled optimism that has been woven into the fabric of our being as New Yorkers ever since the arrival of the first ship in the harbor.

“My parents gave me everything even though it was always a struggle for us financially,” said Melissa Gaitan about her high school years. “Sometimes we had to ask relatives to give us food.” Gaitan, who dreams about becoming a doctor so she can help others who are similarly situated, credits her guidance counselor at Jane Addams HS, Froylan Figueroa, with making her path through life less complicated. “I would give him a hard time and be stubborn sometimes, but he taught me how to balance my time better,” Gaitan said.

At the microphone

Jeffrey Huart, Shanker Scholarship Fund director.

Alex Shindler, former Shanker Scholarship winner.

Renoly Santiago, actor.

Michael Mulgrew, UFT vice president for vocational and technical education high schools.

DeMarco Morgan, NBC News anchor.

Also singing the praises of his parents was Gerard Sailor, a graduate of the Bronx Academy of Health. “They are awesome,” he said. When not in school, Sailor volunteers his time serving meals and waiting tables at a senior center, activities that did not go unnoticed. During the school year, he received a community service award from the Bronx borough president.

A few tables away, Emanuel Valentin from the Harbor School remembered his teachers Lily Kolman and Noah Heller, who he said were “special” in his life. “They were always there whenever I needed them,” he said. “I will never forget them.”

Mulgrew told the awardees how important their volunteer work is. “It makes a difference when you visit someone in the hospital,” he said. “It makes a difference when you read a book to a child.” He urged the students to ask others to join them in their idealism so the “country will face challenges and overcome them.”

Also speaking at the event was actor Renoly Santiago who attended the Professional Children’s School. He advised the awardees to seek “bold, positive relationships with people who support you. It’s better to be on your own than to be in bad company.”

NBC News anchor DeMarco Morgan wowed the crowd by reading a poem he had written about his life, the theme of which was resilience in times of adversity. He said the odds were against him, starting with the fact that he graduated at the bottom of his class. “According to statistics, I should not be standing here,” he said. His father died when he was ten years old — on Father’s Day — and he had an older brother who was a gang member. He effusively praised his mother, a retired teacher and hair stylist from Tulsa, Oklahoma. He said she “held it all together.”

From the stage, Morgan said “women can do a job as good as or better than a man” and wondered who in the audience would grow up to be the first female president of the United States, the first Hispanic vice president and the first Asian secretary of state. “You are the chosen few,” he added.

At the end of the night, Jeffrey Huart, the director of the scholarship fund, whose son performed on keyboard, told the parents and guardians that “now is the time to start celebrating the success” of their daughters and sons.

The night wasn’t just about the serious business of giving away $1 million. Between speeches, students from Talent Unlimited HS, the IS 143 Performance Ensemble and the chorus from Edward R. Murrow HS provided entertainment that had the auditorium absorbed in the beat of Latin salsa, gospel music and graceful, powerful dance numbers. The students were led by Victorianne Cappiello, Sergio Larios and Cheryl Johnson, respectively.

[For more photos, go to the “227 happy endings” gallery]