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April 20, 2004
SJT Scholars Continue to Give Back to School, Community
By Justin Saint Jean
Since its inception in 1989 as the GW Presidential 21st Century Scholars
program, the Stephen Joel Trachtenberg Scholarship program has provided
full, four-year scholarships to more than 70 promising DC students. With
each of the 10 scholarships awarded this year valued at over $180,000,
it comes as no surprise that GW has remained the single largest post-secondary
contributor of financial aid to public schools for 10 years. However,
the program’s recipients continue to spread the wealth by giving
back to the community that supported them.
On campus, one of the most recognizable faces of a Trachtenberg Scholarship
recipient is that of Isaiah Pickens. As a member of GW’s Class of
2005, Pickens has distinguished himself among his peers. After graduating
with honors from School Without Walls at the age of 16, he built an impressive
list of accomplishments: member of the Peer Leadership Mentor program,
walk-on member of the GW basketball team, president of the Alpha Phi Alpha
fraternity and vice president of undergraduate student policy for the
Student Association. Recently, Pickens received GW’s Martin Luther
King Jr. Award, recognizing his dedication to civil rights and community
service.
Sophomore Anaid Gonzalez is no stranger to making the most of an opportunity,
especially one of the magnitude of the Trachtenberg Scholarship. Though
she immigrated from Mexico in 1993 without being able to speak a word
of English, she became fluent within one year of beginning classes. She
graduated as the valedictorian of her class, and, after being accepted
at the University of Pennsylvania, University of Maryland-College Park,
and Georgetown, she chose to pursue accounting at GW.
“One advantage of going to GW is its location,” said Gonzalez.
“Everything is so accessible… for example, I volunteer at the
Hispanic College Fund and the Hispanic Heritage Awards Foundation. Instead
of having to actually drive, it’s just a five-minute walk. That’s
what I love about GW; everything DC has to offer is just blocks away.”
Another Trachtenberg Scholarship recipient, May-Mei Lee, shares a bit
more than that distinction with Gonzalez. The sophomores room together
in Guthridge Hall, just a block from School Without Walls, where they
graduated in 2002. Since then, Lee has committed her time to studying
(she is a member of the dean’s list), working part-time at Potbelly’s
and pursuing volunteer activities with her fellow Trachtenberg Scholarship
recipients. Lee credits her continued success partly to the receipt of
the scholarship.
“I can concentrate on my school work without having to worry about
the financial aspect [of college], giving me the opportunity to go to
a top-notch school and reap the benefits of staying in DC,” Lee said.
“Both GW and the city benefit by keeping bright students working
in the community and staying in the city. It keeps students interested
in our neighborhoods and city as a whole.”
Both Gonzalez and Lee acknowledge Emmanuella DuPlessy, a key organizer
of the Trachtenberg Scholarship advisory group, for encouraging them to
pursue community service activities as a group. Though the Trachtenberg
Scholars participate in traditional events such as the AIDS Walk and Hands
On DC, they prefer giving back to the community by advising high school
seniors preparing to apply to colleges.
“Getting to work with kids in the neighborhood, especially the ones
from my old school, is the best because I understand what they are going
through,” Gonzalez said. “Having been in their position, I know
that all it takes is a little encouragement and guidance.”
Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu
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Related Link
GW
Awards SJT Scholarships
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