October 22, 2008

Two AFSCME members, and the children of nine other members, are among the 108 winners of the 2008 Union Plus Scholarship awards.

Chosen from 4,237 applicants from 40 AFL-CIO unions, the recipients received a total of $150,000 in scholarships. AFSCME members, or their children, submitted 568 applications for this year’s awards.

Winning $4,000 scholarships are:

• Steven Flowers Jr., of Cheektowaga, N.Y. His father is Steven Flowers Sr., a member of CSEA/AFSCME Local 815.
• Adrianna Garcia, of Kenai, Alaska. Her father, Jose Garcia, is a member of Local 803 [no council]. Her mother, Jacqueline, is a member of Local 52.

Receiving $1,000 scholarships are:

• Shirlana Dash of Philadelphia, a Social Worker 2 employed by the Philadelphia Department of Human Services. Dash is a member of Local 2187 (Council 47).
• Lucas Espinoza of Miller Place, N.Y. His mother is Janet Espinoza, a member of Civil Service Employees Association/AFSCME Local 852.
• Nicholas Hilgeman of Whitehouse, Ohio. His mother, Michele Shepler, is a member of Local 3794 (Council 8).
• Maureen Janulewicz of Auburn, Mass. An LPN at the University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, is a member of Local 3900 (Council 93).
• Emerald Katz of Soledad, Calif. Her father is Ira Katz, a member of Local 2620 (Council 57).
• Jessica Kennedy of Clarkston, Mich. Her mother is Cynthia Kennedy, a member of Local 1472 (Council 25).
• Nicholas Patané of Old Forge, Penn. His father, Camillo Patané, is a member of Local 2327 (Council 87).

Other scholarship winners are:

• Chiamaka Onyejiukwa of Jamaica, N.Y., whose father, Richard Onyejiukwa, is a member of Local 299 (DC 37); $750
• Amy McAuliffe of Pittsburgh, Penn., whose mother is Joy McAuliffe, a member of Local 972 (Council 90); $500.

Applicants for Union Plus scholarships, offered through the Union Plus Education Foundation, must have been accepted into an accredited college or university, community college or recognized technical or trade school at the time the award is issued. Graduate school students are also eligible. Winners are selected based on their academic ability, social awareness, financial need and understanding of the labor movement.

Visit the Union Plus Scholarship page for information on eligibility for the Union Plus scholarship, and to download the application for next year’s scholarships. To learn about other scholarships, go to the Scholarships page.