Scholarship Program Promises To Do More After Say Yes Graduate Nets Full Ride To Medical School Say Yes Syracuse Eyes Bigger Goals After Student Nets Big Award
“What we want students to know is that they have a community behind them. What Say Yes is a reflection of the community coming together and figuring out how can we support students while they’re in school from kindergarten to twelfth grade by offering wrap-around supports and everything else.
And how can we make postsecondary education more equitable for everyone so that they all have an opportunity to pursue that for their career if that’s what they desire.”
Our hope is that students know [they’re] are going to have the community behind their back. They have a community that will be the wind beneath their wings so that they can accomplish their dreams on their journey.”
MYER LEE: Students of grant program Say Yes Syracuse have a chance to graduate from Upstate Medical University without debt. Assistant Vice President for Public and Media Relations Darryl Geddes says the school’s new scholarship can positively impact students.
GEDDES: This is a great opportunity for Upstate in that we are removing boundaries and obstacles to diversify the medical profession.
LEE: Syracuse.com reports the state-funded scholarship covers $240,000 in school costs. The award pays for tuition, housing and includes a $5,000 per year stipend.
GEDDES: Who knows? We’re even talking about expanding the program for some of the other degree programs we offer here.
LEE: Upstate has more boundaries to remove. Myer Lee, NCC News.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC NEWS) – Syracuse resident Alex Guerrero has been accepted into Upstate Medical University’s Medical School and won’t have to pay a penny to attend.
Guerrero, a Cuban immigrant, is the first undergraduate student to receive the University’s new full-ride scholarship for its medical school. The scholarship that covers up to $240,000 in expenses. Upstate will award it to students of the Say Yes Syracuse program.
Say Yes provides scholarships to Syracuse City School District or Syracuse charter school students to help them to attend college.
Executive Director of Say Yes to Syracuse Ahmeed Turner said he’s happy Upstate set up the scholarship and that it was a “tremendous opportunity” for Syracuse students.
Say Yes, however, isn’t done with netting its students big opportunities, Turner said. There’s more work to do.
“Part of that is continuing to look at data and find gaps that we can fill for students that need college-going services,” Turner said. “We’re definitely looking at college attainment agencies and trying to figure out how we can partner with them so that we can maximize more impact.”
The goal, he said, is to help more students like Guerrero accomplish their dreams.