The Westchester County Board of Legislators and the Jan-don Foundation are pleased to announce the recipients of scholar-ships in the 2020 Jandon Scholars program.
The program awards $12,000 over four years to Westchester public high school seniors who meet certain academic requirements and financial eligibility guidelines, to help them complete their college education. One of the distinctive aspects of the Jandon Scholars program is that it follows students through their college careers. Awards are provided in annual, increasing increments, and scholarship recipients have access to a network of hundreds of alumni who have come through the program.
Board Chairman Ben Boykin said, “Earning a Jandon Scholar-ship is a remarkable achievement under normal circumstances. To have earned such a distinc-tion in this very difficult time, when the normal conventions of school have been disrupted by COVID-19, is a testament to the perseverance and strength of character of this year’s Scholars. We congratulate them, and we know that this wonderful pro-gram – including the mentorship of previous scholars – will help these fine students continue to achieve, whatever circumstances the future may hold.”
The Jandon Foundation’s Alec Cecil said, “Our Jandon Scholars have achieved so much under unprecedented circumstances. We are proud to be making an investment in these Scholars, and to be in a position to provide them with financial support and mentorship. Seeing their determination, fortitude and commitment to their educations, I know that the in-vestment we make in them is an investment in a brighter future for us all.
”This year’s Jandon Scholar-ships are the first to be awarded since the passing of Donald Cecil, who established the Jandon Scholars program in 1999 to help Westchester students from low income families attend college. Chairman Boykin said, “Don Cecil was a wonderful man who did so much for the community and for so many deserving students for decades. While we mourn his passing, we know that the life and achievements of the students Jandon has helped, and the future students Jandon will help, will be testaments to Don’s vision for generations to come.”
Below is a list of this year’s Scholars, the high schools they attend and the colleges the will be attending
• Sandy Salazar Fox Lane HS Barnard College
• Crystal Padron Lincoln HS Lehman College
• Michelle Portillo Lincoln HS SUNY Stony Brook
• Kayla Fagan Mount Vernon HS Fordham University
• Melane Tejada Mount Vernon HS SUNY Stony Brook
• Aaliyah Wright Mount Vernon HS SUNY Binghamton
• Litzy Valdovinos Nellie Thornton HS Lehman Collage
• Okoe Garcia Toribio Palisade Preparatory HS Fordham University
• Keyla Alarcon Peekskill HS Manhattanville College
• Enoc Guartambel Peekskill HS Fordham University
• Ebany Tapia Peekskill HS Pace University
• Inmay Weinstein Peekskill HS SUNY Albany
• Lisbel Feliz Garo Roosevelt HS SUNY Binghamton
• Jennifer Mora Saunders HS Manhattan College
• Kimberly Mourao-Franco Sleepy Hollow HS SUNY Binghamton
