Wilbur Ray Scholarship Recipients

“I decided to attend Brookdale because I realized I could get a world-class education at a really affordable price,” said Belinda Asamoah, nursing major at Brookdale Community College and Wilbur Ray Scholarship recipient.

Asamoah is one of ten Brookdale students who received the Wilbur Ray Scholarship for the spring 2021 semester. The additional Wilbur Ray Scholarship recipients are: Catherine Abin, Bobby Caze, Christopher Dang, Brianna Doremy, Monica Gonzales, Natalie Millan, Taiphane Orange, Lorena Pacheco, and Kettlyn St. Louis. The fall 2020 Wilbur Ray Scholarship awardees are: Bobby Caze, Eduardo De La Cruz, Natalie Millan, Ariadny Nascimento, Jean Guerdy Paul, and Lauren Sangalang.

The Wilbur Ray Scholarship is named in honor of the late Sergeant Wilbur Ray who was a long-time member of the Brookdale Community College Police Force and an active volunteer in the Long Branch community. The scholarship continues Ray’s legacy as Monmouth County students of color who attend Brookdale are eligible to apply. For the 2020-2021 academic year, 16 scholarships totaling $8,000 were awarded to Brookdale students to help them pay for tuition and books.

“This scholarship has helped lift the financial burden off of my mother and me. It significantly reduced my costs for this semester,” Asamoah said.  The treasurer of the Black Student Union (BSU) at Brookdale, Asamoah said she learned about the scholarship opportunity at one of the BSU meetings. She is also the secretary for the Women in Engineering, Science, and Technology (WEST) Club and member of CRU.

“All my club advisors at Brookdale have been so helpful to me,” said Asamoah, and she encourages other students to get involved on campus. “Join a club and form connections with people.”

Orange, a political science major at Brookdale and fellow member of the BSU, also learned about the scholarship at one of the BSU meetings. “Financially, it is difficult for my mother and me, so the scholarship is helping to fund my schooling,” Orange said. She is also involved with the Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) Association, the Honors Association, and the Global Citizenship Club. “Everyone at Brookdale is extremely helpful. Whenever I needed something, I was always able to find someone to help me,” she said.

“Students always receive the help they look for and a warm welcome from the very experienced staff,” echoed Gonzales, who is in her last semester as a business administration major. “This scholarship has helped me a lot,” she said. “With this scholarship, I was able to pay my tuition in full for my last semester.”

Brookdale Community College is the county college of Monmouth County. It offers over 65 academic degree programs, online courses, a robust schedule of activities and clubs for students, partnership opportunities with elite four-year universities as well as local businesses, and the services needed to be successful. For more information about Brookdale, please visit www.brookdalecc.edu.

For more information about the Wilbur Ray Scholarship, please visit https://www.brookdalecc.edu/wilbur-ray.