11 Rondout students to get free tuition

The question of whether they can afford college has been answered for nearly a dozen Rondout Valley school students thanks to donations from community members.

Through the SUNY Ulster President’s Challenge Scholarship, 11 students will be able to attend the college in Stone Ridge for two years without having to pay their own tuition.

Lorraine Salmon, executive director of the Ulster Community College Foundation, said the scholarship program started as a pilot last year with six students from the Rondout Valley school district. She said through an application process

that included an essay and interview, six eighth-grade students were selected to receive free tuition to the college.

This year, another five eighth-graders will be chosen, Salmon said.

So long as the students continue to do well and graduate high school, they will have their first two years of college at SUNY Ulster paid for through donations from community members, Salmon said.

Students who were selected to apply but were not chosen for the program will still be designated as President’s Challenge participants, meaning they will be given priority for scholarship assistance through the foundation, she said.

“So, it’s really a great opportunity,” Salmon said. She said she and SUNY Ulster President Alan Roberts met with the eligible students beforehand to talk to them about the benefits of attending the college.

To qualify for the President’s Challenge Scholarship, the eighth-graders must: be first-generation college-bound students; have an 80 percent cumulative grade point average; have a 75 percent cumulative grade point average in English, Math, Science and Social Studies through mid-April; have an 85 percent or higher attendance rate in school; and have minimal disciplinary infractions. Preference is also given to students with economic need.

The first group of scholarship winners is in ninth grade now, and Rondout Valley school Superintendent Rosario Agostaro said they are all doing well. He said they seem to walk with purpose now and their parents have been thankful. Agostaro added that the program, in his opinion, is one of the most impactful ones he has seen during his career.

“It gives them hope and something to dream about, which is being able to go to college,” Agostaro said.

Salmon said the students also receive mentorship through the program and get invited to special events through the college. She said the first group of students recently attended a poetry event at SUNY Ulster.

Agostaro said he hoped the selected students would be able to meet their sponsors. And that they will be able to act as mentors later on when new students are selected for the program, he said.

While the program is only offered to Rondout Valley students at present, Salmon said, the foundation plans to expand to all nine high schools in Ulster County. She said they have already reached out to the Kingston and Ellenville school districts because there is a financial need in those areas.

“I’m thankful to President Roberts and his team because this is going to change lives,” Agostaro said. He said he was also thankful to the donors for their support.

Salmon said the foundation would be holding an event June 15 at Garvan’s in New Paltz to raise funds for the program. She said anyone interested in the event could contact the foundation at (845) 6875283.