Now’s the Time to Apply for the 2019 NJALL SCHOLARSHIP!

Meet Ruth Rivera, 2018 Scholarship winner. In the winter of 2017, Ruth earned her high school diploma. It was a difficult journey to get there, having moved and changed schools several times and finally dropping out. Ultimately, Ruth found the Literacy New Jersey’s HSE (High School Equivalency) program at the Elizabeth Public Library.  The library had always been a comfortable place for her and when she met the HSE teachers she decided to try to get her diploma. This is how she described that time in her life:

“I then met the teachers in the HSE program and they were supportive, positive and convinced me that I could take the test and pass. I’m not sure I believed them at first. But I kept going to class and practicing and I was shown my assessment scores so I found the courage to sign up for the test. I was so nervous! It was challenging because I was working at Wendy’s at the time and I had to find time to study. Also, the library was more than a mile away from my house and I don’t have a car, so getting to class was also challenging. My real motivation was that I wanted to be the first person in my family to earn a high school diploma.”

Ruth had hopes of starting her college career at Union County College, majoring in Music and Theatre. With encouragement, she took the time to apply for the NJALL Scholarship, sharing her compelling story on her application. The NJALL Scholarship Committee recognized that Ruth had the potential to be a success and selected her for one of the Scholarships awarded in June 2018.
Ruth is now attending Union County College and excited to be a college student. NJALL is thrilled to be a part of helping Ruth realize her dreams.

Download Scholarship Application Here

Be sure to encourage your students/graduates to apply!