When Lisany Manzueta heads to Skidmore College in the fall, she plans to create her own major. “I’m thinking of a combination of history and political science,” the Sunset Park HS senior said. At a time when college costs are rising, Manzueta will get an important boost: She’s one of the recipients of a $5,000 UFT Albert Shanker Scholarship Award.

“It’s going to help with tuition,” she said.

Manzueta and her family were among the more than 200 students, family members, friends and teachers who gathered at UFT headquarters in Manhattan on June 9 to honor the scholarship winners at the 45th annual awards ceremony.

“This is one of the proudest things we do at the UFT,” said UFT President Michael Mulgrew. Every year, the fund gives out $1 million in scholarships to deserving seniors and prospective graduate students based on financial need and academic promise.

The awards are in the name of the late educator and leader of the UFT and the AFT. His widow, Eadie Shanker, an educator and unionist in her own right, attended the ceremony as she has for many years.

“Remember what you’ve done to get to this point,” Mulgrew told the students. “Celebrate what you have done, and thank you for making us all proud.”

This year, 179 scholarships were awarded to high school seniors and nine scholarships were awarded to prospective graduate students.

“We want to honor the best that New York City has to offer from all five boroughs,” said Anthony Harmon, the director of the Albert Shanker College Scholarship Fund, who chaired the event.

Chirlaine McCray, the spouse of Mayor Bill de Blasio, sent her congratulations via videotape. “The Shanker scholarships are a testament to how much the UFT cares about students,” she said.

Katie Farrell, the chapter leader at Liberty HS Academy for Newcomers in Manhattan, attended with students from her school, which is focused on helping recent young immigrants, many of whom speak English as a second language.

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Jonathan Fickies

Farrell said that the college application process, with its multitude of deadlines and financial aid forms, can be a daunting experience for any student, but for those whose families have limited English skills, it can seem like an impossible hurdle.

“It’s critical to have a staff of college advisers to help them,” Farrell said. “It helps get kids oriented to deadlines.”

Jia Li Ma, who will study biomedical engineering at the City College of New York, said the Liberty HS counselors helped him apply for college and financial aid. His brother, Jia Sheng Ma, also received a scholarship, which he will use to study computer science at SUNY at Stony Brook.

Marie Theodoropoulou, a college counselor at Newcomers HS in Queens, also celebrated the success of students who are recent arrivals to the country. She accompanied her school’s two winners, Dyah Swastiningsih and Yunduo Lin.

“These students are three or four years in this country,” Theodoropoulou said. “The self-esteem they get from these awards is wonderful.”

With college costs going through the roof, the fact that the Shanker awards are geared toward low-income students is significant, said Allison Cohen, a college counselor at Eleanor Roosevelt HS in Manhattan, who attended with scholarship winners Mendy Yu and Macky Li.

“Any time low-income students can avoid taking loans and reduce their loan burden, it’s a huge asset,” Cohen said. “Every little bit counts.”