McCormack Scholars, Class of 2008
Jetmira
Dega
Elizabeth J. McCormack Scholar, Class of 2008
High School: Flags High School, Bronx, NY
Hometown: Mamaroneck, NY
Major/Minors: Biology/ Chemistry & Political Science
Possible Career: Medicine
When Jetmira was just six years old, her family had to flea political persecution in Albania and thus they were forced to go to Germany. After 6 years, Jetmira and her family migrated to the United States to join the rest of her family. Although English is her third language, she was accepted for Advance Placement English in 11th grade and graduated from high school as Valedictorian of her class.
Jetmira has been a dedicated volunteer. She was elected to the executive board of Building With Books, an organization that helps with the construction of schools in third world communities. She has also volunteered at soup kitchens, cleaning parks, preparing education material for the Gay Men’s Health Crisis and mentoring an HIV positive child at Jacobi Hospital.
Jetmira majored in Biology and minored in Chemistry and Political Science at Manhattanville. She was active in the Manhattanville community as a biology tutor, lab assistant, member of the International Student Organization (ISO), the Tri-Beta Biology Honors Society, and Student Government.
During the summer of 2005, Jetmira used her McCormack Opportunity Grant to do tuberculosis research at Albert Einstein Medical College, take piano lessons, and travel to Oregon to take part in a program sponsored by the Wilderness Foundation. The following summers, Jetmira used her grant to take summer courses while taking part in a water quality research project under Dr. Anna Yeung-Cheung supported by Mayor Philip Trifiletti of Mamaroneck Village.
Since graduating in May 2008, Jetmira has been working as an Embryologist technician at Reproductive Specialist of New York doing in vitro fertilization. Jetmira will be taking the MCAT exam and hopes to go to Medical school in the near future. During the month of January 2010 Jetmira was able to participate in a medical service trip with Child Family Health International in Ecuador. She was able to live with a host family in the capital of Ecuador, Quito. Jetmira wanted to expand her language skills by taking Spanish classes during her stay in Ecuador. In addition she rotated each week between different clinical sites shadowing doctors. Jetmira quotes "Having the Opportunity Grant is a privilege. I would advise the prospective students coming in to take full advantage of it and go out there and see the world."
Itza Martinez-Reyes
Elizabeth J. McCormack Scholar, Class of 2008
High School: Antilles High School, PR
Hometown: Amherst, MA
Major: Art Education
Possible Career: Art Teacher, School Administration
At Manhattanville, Itza was an active volunteer for programs sponsored by the Duchesne Center. She participated in Midnight Runs helping make and distribute food to NYC’s homeless. She was a mentor for Ladies Room a program which brings teenage girls from the Coachman Family Center to campus to talk about self-esteem and self-image. However, she spent most of her service hours as coordinator for Creative Expressions Through Art (CETA) another program which works with children from the Coachman Center. Itza was also Co-founder of Spanglish Praise, a bilingual Christian meeting.
Itza used her McCormack grant in many ways. She traveled to Mexico for a summer service project in San Luis Potosi. The following summer she went to Currimao in the Philippines to teach art to children of indigents in an area where families make less than $1 a day. The summer before her senior year, she worked at Columbia University’s Double Discovery Center Early Intervention Initiative as a teacher’s assistant for the English portion of the enrichment program and also ran the soccer and art clubs.
Itza received her BFA Magna Cum Laude in 2008, with Education departmental honors and was awarded the Dean’s Prize, Living the Mission Award, and a Castle Pin. In 2009, she received her MAT Summa Cum Laude and her NYS K-12 Teaching Certification.
In December of her senior year, Itza married her college sweetheart, Marcos Reyes. They currently live in Western Massachusetts where Marcos is pursuing his Ph.D. Itza is the Activities Coordinator and Art Teacher at the newly established Hampden Charter School of Science (HCSS) in Chicopee, MA. She has recently completed the teacher certification processes in Massachusetts.
For summer 2010, Itza is excited to be working with the Summer Materials Research Science and Engineering Center’s Research Experience for Teachers Program at UMass-Amherst. She will be working with the Polymer Science and Engineering department. This program offers hands on research experience on polymers while giving teachers an opportunity to develop curriculum for their classrooms. Itza hopes to return to school sometime soon for a second Masters or possibly a Ph.D. in Educational Administration or International Education.
Erin
Richardson
Elizabeth J. McCormack Scholar, Class of 2008
High School: Pioneer Valley Performing Arts High School
Hometown: Greenfield, MA
Major: Business Management
Career: Non-Profit Organization Management
Erin attended Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter High School, a public charter school which was one of only four schools in the nation included in a study of creativity in education conducted by Howard Gardner's Project Zero at Harvard's School of Education. She was a member of the school's jazz A capella group, 5 Alone, which was named Best Jazz Vocal Group in both the 2003 and 2004 June issues of Downbeat Magazine. The group received first place in the Berkley College of Music High School Jazz Festival in 2003 and their album, Good Vibrations, received the Best High School Album award from CARA (Contemporary A Capella Society of America) in 2004 and was one of nine high school and college jazz groups chosen worldwide to perform at the North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands. She was a member of her school’s completely student-run comedy troupe, Headgear, and starred in West Side Story (Maria) , A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Philia), and The Crucible (Elizabeth Proctor). She was a mentor and tutor through the Big Brother/Big Sister Program and spent her summers working as a camp counselor at the Springfield Boys and Girls Club.
When enrolled in Manhattanville’s Semester in NYC program, Erin interned with the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, where she worked as an Assistant to the Executive Director handling donations, press releases, event planning and general office duties. The release of the anti-trafficking film Holly was one of several events Erin helped to coordinate. During her time at Manhattanville, Erin continued to pursue her interest in music. She was an active member and Co-President of Manhattanville Sound, the student run A cappella group which performed at Magic Music Days in Walt Disney World. She sang with Quintessentials, the college’s prestigious music group and performed in the cabaret-style musical Starting Here, Starting Now.
Erin used McCormack opportunity funds one summer to study traditional Tuscan cuisine and the Italian language in Siena, Italy. She also traveled to Galway, Ireland where she helped raise funds for the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. After graduating in December 2008 Erin traveled to Costa Rica to experience the culture and huge variety of nature and wildlife.
Erin is married to Jared Nugent. She works as Comptroller of Second Wind Consultants, a financial consulting firm that helps small businesses who are defaulting on their SBA loans get back on their feet. She says it's a very rewarding job with. She has a great boss and flexible hours which enables her to spend more time with her daughter, Kiera, who is 16 months old. Erin and Jared are expecting a son in late fall. They also have two dogs and two cats. They have a large garden and grow most of their own vegetables. Erin reports that all this makes for a very busy but full and happy life.
