Thursday, September 12, 2013 (Bronx, NY) - Four participants in the College Opportunity to Prepare for Employment (COPE) program at Eugenio María de Hostos Community College have been awarded competitive Mitsui USA Scholarships for the 2013-2014 academic year.  David Ramos received $5,730 and graduated in June 2013. He is now attending City College. Monica Rivera received $4,200 and will be graduating at the end of the Fall 2013 semester. She plans to transfer to Lehman College in the Spring of 2014.  Antoinette Smidth received $4,200 and will graduate in the Spring of 2014.

The Mitsui USA Scholarship Foundation awards competitive scholarships to students with a GPA of 3.0 and above who have demonstrated evidence of community volunteerism and leadership.  Offering five scholarships, Mitsui accepted candidates from all CUNY community colleges and two of its comprehensive colleges.

The COPE program is collaboration between The City University of New York (CUNY) and the Human Resources Administration. COPE assists qualified students enrolled in occupational degree programs by providing them with support services that include individual and group advisement, employment counseling, and many other tools.

David said he was glad his hard work had paid off, and that he will use the scholarship money to pay for summer classes at City College. “Though I am sure that there are many other worthy candidates, I believe that my work ethic, in spite of all I have been through, will show that I can make the most effective use of this scholarship.”

María Cano, Director of COPE, said she was particularly proud of the students who earned these scholarships. “Most students at Hostos are in need of financial assistance, but COPE students are particularly deserving, as they have more demands on their time because of family responsibilities, their jobs, and compliance with the Human Resources Administration (HRA) mandated 35-hour work week. It is heartening that despite all of this, they are also able to maintain impressive GPAs.”

For more about COPE, go to http://www.hostos.cuny.edu/ooa/specialprograms/cope.html.

About Hostos Community College
Eugenio María de Hostos Community College is an educational agent for change that has been transforming and improving the quality of life in the South Bronx and neighboring communities since 1968. It serves as a gateway to intellectual growth and socioeconomic mobility, as well as a point of departure for lifelong learning, success in professional careers, and transfer to advanced higher education programs. The College’s unique "Student Success Coaching Unit" provides students with individualized guidance and exemplifies its emphasis on student support services.

Hostos offers 29 associate degree programs and five certificate programs that facilitate easy transfer to CUNY’s four-year colleges or baccalaureate studies at other institutions. The College has an award-winning Division of Continuing Education & Workforce Development that offers professional development courses and certificate-bearing workforce training programs. Hostos is part of the City University of New York (CUNY), the nation’s leading urban public university, which serves more than 480,000 students at 24 colleges.