Trinidadians benefit from scholarships

Trinidadians benefit from scholarships|Trinidadians benefit from scholarships
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Trinidadian college students who recently completed their first semester at Monroe College in New Rochelle, N.Y. are on-track to save thousands of dollars in college tuition costs.

Assisted by Monroe’s International Students Academic Scholarships, worth up to $3,500 each semester and, in one case, a full scholarship awarded by the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), the students are pursuing degree programs that lead towards marketable career skills while also becoming active in campus activities that further enhance their academic experience.

Based on high school or prior college transcripts, incoming students from Trinidad can automatically qualify for Monroe’s International Students Academic Scholarship which can save a student as much as $28,000 in college tuition costs if they enter Monroe as a freshman and complete their bachelor’s degree requirements there. Once enrolled, a student must maintain a GPA of 3.25 or better in order to continue qualifying for the scholarship.

“The awards for incoming students are competitive and are based on the rigor of the program of their high school or prior college experience,” noted Gersom Lopez, dean of admissions. “No grade point average guarantees an award and so interested students are encouraged to submit their applications for admissions sooner than later.”

Tamika Keane, 25, a Hospitality Management major with a minor in marketing, is the first recipient of the CTO full scholarship to attend Monroe. The Barataria resident said she applied to Monroe on account of its reputation for international diversity.

Monroe enrolls students from several Caribbean nations as well as Asia, the Middle East, Europe and South America. “We all share each other’s cultural experiences,” said Keane who is on leave from her job with the Trinidad andTobago Ministry of Tourism.

While at Monroe, she serves as president of the Hospitality Students Association and works as an administrative assistant in the College’s International Student Services Department, She plans on returning to her homeland to further promote Trinidad-Tobago as the best destination for a Caribbean vacation.

Other students from Trinidad who received Monroe’s International Students Academic Scholarships this past semester include Raynelle Brown, Sangre Grande and Ezra Bailey, Arima.

“Trinidadian students have been enrolling at Monroe College in New Rochelle and assuming campus leadership positions for the past several years,” added Lopez.

“Monroe is attractive to all international students because of its career-oriented academic majors, its three-semester calendar that affords them the opportunity to complete a bachelor’s degree in approximately two-and-a-half years, and a price-competitive tuition, room and board package makes Monroe one of the most affordable private colleges in Metropolitan New York City.”

Monroe’s New Rochelle campus is located just 30-minutes from Grand Central Station, the heart of Manhattan.

Students interested in applying for admission to Monroe and to qualify for a scholarship should contact Krystle Dookoo at 914-740-6521.

Dr. Frank Costantino, dean of the School of Hospitality Management and the Culinary Arts, is pictured in one of the program’s kitchens with Tamika Keane.