KIPP Lynn joins the scholarship Posse

LYNN ? The KIPP Academy has two recipients for the Posse Foundation Scholarship: Jose Valera and Anaidys Uribe.Valera will be attending Bucknell in Lewisburg, Pa., while Uribe will attend Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y. The two seniors have been involved in school activities, and they say they are extremely grateful for the scholarship.Valera started out doing well his freshman year at KIPP, with a high GPA. However, he took on more responsibilities, such as being the captain of the baseball team and the president of the student council, and due to the heavier load his grades suffered and he did not make honor roll his sophomore year.It was the first time ? and last time ? he did not make the honor roll. For his junior year and the first semester of his senior year he maintained a 3.7 GPA. Back on track and realizing what he could handle, Valera applied to the prestigious Brown Environmental Leadership Lab. He spent two weeks at a reservation Brown owns that focused on leadership skills, environmental and social issues and developing action plans.He felt this was a wonderful opportunity and one that could open up as many doors as possible, especially when it came to financing his college education.Although finances are an issue for many students, and could have possibly been an issue for Valera, he says his parents would have made it happen.”My parents would have sent me to college regardless of any household issues,” Valera said. “They told me earning a degree is the easiest way to a better life, and will open up more opportunities.”Uribe’s parents had the same idea as Valera’s. They believed education was an important opportunity for providing a better life. According to Uribe, she worked hard and balanced sports during her high school career and wanted to make it to college. She said she is proud that she is not only going to college but it was solely her efforts.”The greatest thing about receiving the scholarship is it’s something I did on my own,” Uribe said. “It’s a testament to the effort I put in.”Her mother had great influence on her, believing in going to college and even picking her major. While growing up Uribe’s mother was involved in earning her associate’s degree, and she would come home and show Uribe the psychology books she was working from. At the time it didn’t mean much to Uribe, but later it played a major role in her decision to major in psychology. She said her mother’s motivation inspired her to do better.Although Uribe’s parents would have encouraged her to still go to college regardless of financial obstacles, she is grateful she got the scholarship because she was afraid of how she would finance her higher education.”I live in a low-income community,” Uribe said. “I was scared when my father lost his job in April but this scholarship has relieved me of some of that fear.”Now that the students are settled and, according to Uribe, do not have to worry about college essays or the application process, they can focus on finishing the final year of their high school career. They are proud of themselves for earning the scholarship but thankful for Jesse Maynor, the school’s director of college counseling, for nominating them. Maynor is proud to have had the opportunity to help the students,”I am honored that we have two students from our founding senior class that received the scholarship,” Maynor said.With their new endeavours soon approaching the students want others to know “to never give up.”