This February, John Jay College celebrated student scholarship winners and thanked the generous donors that made these scholarships possible at the 4th annual Champions of Justice reception. This year, three new scholarships were announced at the event and current scholarship recipients shared their moving stories about their journey to reach their dreams at John Jay and beyond. The reception was attended by over 125 people, including donors, student scholarship recipients, faculty, and staff.

Watch the new scholarships that changed their lives.

View photos of the evening here.

The College is proud to celebrate the hard work of its scholars, fellows, and interns, and to thank the John Jay donors who year after year help John Jay students succeed. There are currently over 85 scholarships, internships, and fellowships at John Jay, including 13 new scholarships that were launched just this year. In 2018, the College is awarding nearly $3.5 million dollars in scholarship, fellowship, and internship funds to over 1,100 students.

At the Champions of Justice reception, three new scholarships were highlighted: the NECO-First in Family Scholarship, the Judith Bronfman Memorial Scholarship and the Rossana Rosado Fellowship. These scholarships support high-potential students, many of whom are the first in their families to attend college. The awards help these exceptional students overcome unique financial, personal, and academic challenges so that they can successfully graduate with their degrees.

Magdalena Oropeza is one of the scholarship recipients highlighted at the event. When she first started at John Jay, she knew she wanted to study law because of an encounter she’d had with an immigration lawyer when she was only seven years old. Her parents relied on Magdalena to interpret what the lawyer said into Spanish. The experience made a deep impression on Magdalena. “Having to tell my parents that there was nothing the lawyer could do solidified my sense of wanting to help people in the future,” she said.

Now, with the support she’s received through her scholarship, Oropeza has just been accepted into Columbia Law School. “When I received the news, I was on the bus and I screamed,” she said. “I was in tears.”

The voices of the generous donors who make success stories like Oropeza’s possible were also featured at the event. “You’re not just investing in an academic experience, you’re investing in someone’s personal growth,” said Rossana Rosado, Secretary of State of New York and founder of the Rossana Rosado Fellowship.

President Karol V. Mason delivered remarks about the courage and resilience of the scholarship recipients. Mason also thanked donors for their support, and emphasized the continued need to fund scholarship opportunities for John Jay students so they can achieve their dreams. “One of the challenges we face is ensuring that students with the greatest needs have the resources to complete their degrees,” she said. “These students, in this room, are great examples of your impact. Thank you for investing in our students.”