It's Your Advantage
By Susan Ellen Holleran
Each year Union Plus — which includes the AFSCME Advantage program — presents scholarships to members of AFL-CIO unions and their children. Some 105 students from 42 unions were chosen for the 2003 awards, which help finance college, community college and trade-school attendance. Ten of those winners were AFSCME members or their children.
Maya Garza, daughter of Maureen Hylton, Maryland Local 112 (Council 92), plans to become a doctor. With her $1,000 scholarship, she'll study biology at the Johns Hopkins University. Her father grew up as a migrant farm worker, and she herself will use her education principally to benefit those who have followed in his footsteps. Notes Maya: "As [Cesar] Chávez once said, 'The work for social change and against social injustice is never ending.' ... The influence of the farm workers on my life is hard to measure, but impossible to ignore."
Robyn Grimes, daughter of D. Wayne Grimes, Maryland Local 2741 (Council 67), won $2,500. In addition to Maya Garza, there were five $1,000 awardees: Brian Finch, son of Mike Finch, Washington Local 1221 (Council 28); Matthew Galante, son of Denise Galante, New York Civil Service Employees Association/AFSCME Local 1000; Criste Garcia, son of David and Arlene Garcia, Hawaii Government Employees Association (HGEA)/AFSCME Local 152; Evan Perrault, son of Cynthia Perrault, Wisconsin Local 2423 (Council 40); and Tim Wilken, son of Craig Wilken, Washington Local 1254 (Council 2).Desiray Cisar, daughter of Mary Ann Cisar, Florida Local 690 (Council 79) received $500.
Two AFSCME members — both studying nursing — were awarded $500 scholarships. Stacy Lamer, Pennsylvania Local 2328 (Council 83) is the mother of three; she works full time and attends school full time, maintaining a perfect 4.0 grade point average. Dell Manini is an HGEA member. "In the fall of 2002, after 29 years of being out of school, I decided to return to the classroom and to begin my quest of becoming a nurse," she wrote in her essay. Manini, too, is maintaining a 4.0 GPA on top of a full-time job.
HOW IT WORKS. The scholarship competition is open to members, their spouses and dependent children of unions that participate in any Union Plus program. To be eligible, applicants must be accepted into an accredited college/university, community college or recognized trade/technical school at the time the award is issued. No purchase or participation in any Union Plus program is necessary.
Applications for the 2004 awards will be available in September 2003. You can download one from AFSCME web site. To request one by mail, send a postcard with your name, return address, telephone number and International union affiliation to: Union Plus Education Foundation, c/o Union Privilege, P.O. Box 34800, Washington, D.C. 20043-4800.Application deadline is Jan. 31, 2004, and winners will be announced on May 31, 2004.
National Labor College Scholarships
One AFSCME rank-and-file member and two union staff members have received Union Plus National Labor College (NLC) scholarships. Joe Davenport, a member of Washington Local 1488 (Council 28) is a state worker who hopes to become a teacher upon graduation. Adolfo Botello is a field rep for Maryland Local 2250, and Timothy Ripperth for Ohio Civil Service Employees Association/AFSCME Local 11. Both expect to graduate in 2004.
The NLC is part of the George Meany Center for Labor Studies in Silver Spring, Md. Almost 800 students have earned their Bachelor of Arts in Labor Studies since 1997. The scholarships, funded by the Union Plus Education Foundation and administered by the George Meany Center, are awarded four times a year to current NLC students. For more information on the college, visit the George Meany Center web site.
