For Immediate Release
Monday, August 01, 2011
AFSCME Members, Family Members Awarded Union Plus Scholarships
Union Plus provides $150,000 to help students from union families achieve their dreams
Washington, DC —Union Plus has awarded $150,000 in scholarships to 130 students representing 43 unions, including 18 who represent AFSCME, in the 2011 Union Plus Scholarship Program.
Union Plus Scholarship awards are granted to students attending a two-year college, four-year college, graduate school or a recognized technical or trade school. Since starting the program in 1991, Union Plus has awarded $3 million in educational funding to more than 2,100 union members, spouses and dependent children. Recipients are selected based on academic ability, social awareness, financial need and appreciation of labor.
In addition to the Union Plus Scholarships, the following benefits help union families afford higher education:
- Scholarships to help union members and leaders finish their degrees with an affordable, flexible and convenient online program at the National Labor College.
- Discounts of 15 percent to 60 percent on college and graduate school test preparation courses from The Princeton Review. Includes classroom, online and private tutoring for the SAT®, ACT®, GMAT®, LSAT®, GRE® and MCAT® as well as college affordability and admissions online courses. Click here for more.
- New education rebates for AFSCME Advantage Credit Card holders. Cardholders now can qualify for rebates of $50, $125 or $250 for eligible education purchases—including college textbooks and tuition—with their AFSCME Advantage Credit Card.
Click here for applications and benefit eligibility.
Meet the 2011 AFSCME Honorees
AFSCME Council 2—Chibuzor (Andy) Nwaelele
Andy Nwaelele of Bothell, WA, whose mother Constance Nwaelele is a member of AFSCME Council 2, has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship. Andy plans to major in biomedical engineering and eventually obtain his MD. He knows this will open up doors for him. “I could work for one of the many health care companies that would make enticing offers,” he says. But Andy’s career objectives reflect a different set of values, one deeply rooted in his family’s African heritage and 40 years of experience in the labor movement both in Africa and the United States; his father is an IBT member. “I plan on using my education to advance causes that the union supports and continue my family’s union tradition,” he says. Instead of going to work for a big corporation, Andy intends to work in global public health.
AFSCME Local 6—Melissa Ertl
Melissa Ertl of Park Falls, WI, whose mother Mary Ertl is a member of AFSCME Local 6, has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship. “True happiness comes from helping others,” Melissa says. If that is so, she should be very happy; her list of volunteer activities is long and varied, and includes founding an organization to raise funds for orphanages in developing countries. Melissa, who plans to study psychology, grew up in a two-union household, including a father who is a longtime USW member. “It is through their relationships with unions that I have truly experienced the union difference,” she says. It’s a difference she tried to bring to her own workplace via an organizing drive to bring a living wage and health care benefits to her co-workers, but one that was thwarted by the company.
Alaska State Employees Association/AFSCME Local 52—Erik Anderson
Erik Anderson of Fairbanks, AK, who is a member of Alaska State Employees Association/AFSCME Local 52, has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship. Erik is an educator who hears the call of the outdoors. “Throughout my twenties, I was torn between wanting to be a teacher and wanting to be a biologist,” he says. Today the AFSCME member and father of two enjoys the best of both worlds—he visits classrooms to give presentations on Alaskan wildlife. When he achieves his master’s in education, he says, “I plan to develop a framework and curriculum for a summer day camp to get kids outdoors.”
Alaska State Employees Association/AFSCME Local 52—Francisco Romero
Francisco Romero of Anchorage, AK, whose father Alex Romero is a member of Alaska State Employees Association/AFSCME Local 52, has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship. Francisco is a worldly young man, having lived in Latin America and also having performed relief work building homes in Bolivia. He says, “From living in foreign countries and seeing the difficult labor conditions of their working class, I do understand that an active and free labor movement promoted by unions is important to maintaining democracy.” Francisco’s education interests include mathematics and engineering.
AFSCME Local 328—Siheng (Sean) You
Sean You of Portland, OR, whose mother Qin Dong is a member of AFSCME Local 328, has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship. Sean works 20 hours a week to help his family and pay for school, while still maintaining excellent grades in a rigorous double major of chemistry and physics. His career objective, he says, is to “use human understanding of the physical world to design solutions to current societal challenges” as an engineer. Sean himself has a keen understanding of the many ways his mother’s AFSCME membership has helped meet the challenges of this world. “I am thankful for the security and stability the union was able to bring to my mother’s occupation, providing some certainty in an otherwise uncertain time.”
AFSCME Local 375—Angelica Francois
Angelica Francois of Brooklyn, NY, whose mother Marie Lodescar-Francois is a member of AFSCME Local 375, has been awarded a $500 scholarship. Angelica is one of three talented triplets. With Angelica on viola and her sisters on violin and cello, they have performed as a trio and helped raise money for Haitian relief. Music may be Angelica’s passion in life, but it is not her career path. Her persistent and persuasive verbal ability has long led people to encourage her to go into law, and now she has decided to follow their recommendation. Angelica grew up in a two-union household—her father is a member of UTU—and she is thankful for the stability and support their union membership afforded her. “The labor union has brought countless benefits to my family,” she says.
AFSCME Local 375—Kaitlin Murphy
Kaitlin Murphy of New City, NY, whose mother Myriam Murphy is a member of AFSCME Local 375, has been awarded a $4,000 scholarship. Kaitlin is a high-achieving student who founded her school’s Operation Smile chapter and is also a longtime cheerleader, full of energy and determination, and fortunately for America’s children her great passion is teaching. “I cannot find anything more important to do with my life,” she says, “than to help educate the future children of tomorrow.”
AFSCME Local 405 and AFSCME Local 642—Amanda Rasmussen
Amanda Rasmussen of Hubbard, OR, who is a member of AFSCME Local 405, and whose spouse Glen Rasmussen is a member of AFSCME Local 642, has been awarded a $750 scholarship. Amanda is very thankful for all the advantages of growing up in a union family. “There was always food on the table and I never knew my parents to have any financial worries,” she says. Today, Amanda and her husband Glen are both AFSCME members, and Amanda has served as a union officer and organizer. In today’s tough times, when many families are worried about the future, Amanda believes that unions are more important than ever, and she expects her college degree will make her an even more effective leader.
AFSCME Local 635—David Moore
David Moore of Fredonia, NY, whose father Randall Moore is a member of AFSCME Local 635, has been awarded a $500 scholarship. David is a musician, athlete and honor student. Above all, he is a young man with big dreams. In fact, you might say David is shooting for the stars—his goal is to complete a degree in aerospace engineering, work for NASA and, he says, “explore the mysteries of space.” But even when his head is in the stars, David’s feet are planted firmly on the ground: he has volunteered to help nonprofit organizations both at home and overseas, and he is deeply aware of the role that AFSCME has played in his life. “Without the union,” he says, “my father’s employer could have cut his salary, cut his benefits, or even initiated unfair labor practices.
AFSCME Local 685—Irrawaddy Lamouth
Irrawaddy Lamouth of Long Beach, CA, whose mother Molly Lamouth is a member of AFSCME Local 685, has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship. Irrawaddy does not tire of telling people how she got her name. The story, she says, is her inspiration. She is named for an aunt who died at age 14 in Cambodia, during the violence of the 1970s. “My name,” she says, “comes from a little girl who never got a chance at life.” Today young Irrawaddy’s dream is to honor her aunt’s legacy by helping other children to live. “Her story has become a big part of my dream to become a pediatrician,” she says.
Local 315 of CSEA/AFSCME Local 1000—Kimberly Kucharski
Kimberly Kucharski of Orchard Park, NY, whose father Casimir Kucharski is a member of Local 315 of CSEA/AFSCME Local 1000, has been awarded a $500 scholarship. Kimberly is a high-achieving student, award-winning athlete, active community volunteer and proud National Honor Society member. She enjoys “doing good things for no reason.” Kimberly is bilingual and has enjoyed teaching Polish to American children; one day she hopes to travel to Poland and teach English to Polish children. Her career goal is to attend medical school and specialize in cardiology or sports medicine.
Local 662 of CSEA/AFSCME Local 1000—Alydaar Rangwala
Alydaar Rangwala of Loudonville, NY, whose father Mazhar Rangwala is a member of Local 662 of CSEA/AFSCME Local 1000, has been awarded a $2,000 scholarship. From the time he was little, Alydaar has been a problem-solver. Back then it was puzzles and number games. But now, since meeting a young man with a rare and incurable autoimmune disease, Alydaar has been motivated to solve the problems of human health. The son of a longtime CSEA/AFSCME member now wishes to become an orthopedic surgeon, and says, “I hope to help patients and to continue to conduct research to advance science and society.”
Local 830 of CSEA/AFSCME Local 1000—Joseph Toole
Joseph Toole of Manhasset, NY, whose mother Christina Russo-Toole is a member of Local 830 of CSEA/AFSCME Local 1000, has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship. From the day his grandmother died from breast cancer, Joseph has said, “I want to be a part of the medical profession because the chance to save even just one person from going through the heartbreak and pain that my family suffered is worth it.” Since then Joseph’s volunteer activities in a local trauma center have brought him face to face with death again, only deepening his resolve to become a doctor. “While volunteering,” he adds, “I witnessed the hard work of union members.” When his education is complete and his practice begins, Joseph will proudly work in partnership with them to help save lives.
AFSCME Local 1006—Emma O’Connor-Brooks
Emma O’Connor-Brooks of Lake Forest, IL, whose mother Donna O’Connor is a member of AFSCME Local 1006, has been awarded a $500 scholarship. Emma has faced some hard times in her life, but those challenges have not dampened her spirit or diminished her resolve to help others. Her mother has supported the family by herself since Emma was 2, and Emma knows her mom’s union membership made a difference. “The union has helped my mother to earn a better wage to take care of her children,” she says. Emma plans to become an architect, and plans to specialize in affordable housing and green/sustainable architecture. “My mother, our church and my teachers taught me to be aware that my choices affect others,” she says, “ and that impact can be for the good of others.”
AFSCME Local 1407—Bryan McComb
Bryan McComb of Lynbrook, NY, whose father Danny McComb is a member of AFSCME Local 1407, has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship. Some young people may grow up taking health insurance for granted, but Bryan never will. As a teenager he experienced a severe and prolonged health crisis during which, he says, “the doctor’s office became my new home.” This experience convinced Bryan of two things: First, he wanted to become a doctor. “I want to be able to provide the answers to medical dilemmas to prevent others from similar forms of suffering,” he says. And, second, that “Health coverage should be made available to everyone.”
AFSCME Local 2170—Joy Cavanaugh
Joy Cavanaugh of Covington, WA, who is a member of AFSCME Local 2170, has been awarded a $750 scholarship. Back in 1976, Joy began her pursuit of a paralegal degree. There were some happy “interruptions” along the way, as Joy put her education on hold and enjoyed her long and continuing marriage to her IBT member husband, being a mother to her children and her current work as a legal assistant and AFSCME member. But now Joy is going back to school, and she is determined to complete that degree and become a paralegal, increasing her earning potential and professional satisfaction. “I so look forward to the day I stand tall with the degree in my hand that I began 35 years ago as a high school graduate,” she says.
AFSCME Local 2620—Nashira Funn
Nashira Funn of Bloomington, CA, who is a member of AFSCME Local 2620, has been awarded a $4,000 scholarship. Nashira helped create a nonprofit organization called Young Single Mothers with Choices. The program seeks to assist young mothers by providing them with skills training, resources and employment opportunities. Nashira is a single mother herself, with two children, and she has made the choice to pursue a doctorate so she can advance her career, support her family and make even more of a difference in the lives of the people she works with. “I want to be equipped to understand and create policies that will enable patients to receive the best care possible,” she says. “I believe a Ph.D. will enable me to be a factor for creating social change in this area.”
AFSCME Local 3055B—Abbey Muzatko
Abbey Muzatko of Green Bay, WI, whose mother Cheryl Muzatko is a member of AFSCME Local 3055B, has been awarded a $500 scholarship. “I’ve already benefited from unionization via AFSCME and my mother’s membership,” Abbey says. “My family’s standard of living is higher and my mother’s work is more satisfying and comfortable to her than it would otherwise be.” Abbey is hoping to achieve greater professional satisfaction for herself by pursuing a degree in fine arts, with the goal of becoming a teacher. Fine arts are Abbey’s passion, but she also has a practical (and very smart) reason for entering the field of education: “Teaching is more attractive to me,” she says, “because it is a (generally) unionized profession.”
More About Union Plus
Union Plus offers many benefits through AFSCME Advantage which help union members and their families save money. In addition to Union Plus Scholarships, other programs include mortgage and finance benefits, safety net and insurance benefits and even money-saving offers on Goodyear tires, car rentals and AT&T wireless service. Visit the AFSCME Advantage section of AFSCME.org to find out more about AFSCME Advantage benefits.
