BUGS is thrilled to announce the winners of the BUGS Class of 2019 Alumni College Scholarship to provide support in the transition to college. Congratulations to Sharon Gorden (North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University), who will receive $1,500, and runner-up Miliana Villalona (University at Albany), who will receive $500. We applaud the contribution and achievements of the 19 students who submitted applications and are excited to support our sustainability change makers. Please see excerpts from Sharon and Miliana’s applications below.
The scholarship was launched by the BUGS community to provide financial assistance to a student who embodies our C.A.R.E.S values and has taken the seeds sown at BUGS to continue to explore and fight for a sustainable future. The scholarship program was open to all members of the BUGS graduating 8th grade class of 2019 who are enrolling at college in fall 2023. Our many thanks to board members Jamal Deek for leading the scholarship initiative and Regina Lee Fechter for her generous support.
“As BUGS celebrates our 10th anniversary, I am truly honored and grateful that we have the opportunity to support these thoughtful, caring, and compassionate BUGS alumni. Thank you to all of the students who submitted applications for the scholarship program and to the teachers and board members who volunteered to serve on the scholarship committee. It means so much to us that the values and commitment to sustainability that these students learned at BUGS stay central to who they are and what they want to achieve. BUGS students are going to change the world.” -- Susan Tenner, Executive Director, Brooklyn Urban Garden Charter School.
Sharon Gorden (North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University)
“My experiences at BUGS and the encouragement of my teachers made me realize that I have a voice and it must be heard loud and clear. I insist that my community at college will hear my voice. I insist that my future career of business and entrepreneurship will serve my community with resources and give others the opportunity to share their voice. My voice will always be used to serve my community.”
Miliana Villalona (University at Albany)
“BUGS pushed me to always reach for my full potential and to always go the extra mile. BUGS supported me academically and emotionally. It was BUGS that helped with my self confidence and self-esteem. Because of the support, I was given the foundation to succeed. Because of BUGS, I am in a better position to pursue an education in law and a career in public service.”
About Brooklyn Urban Garden Charter School (BUGS)
Since BUGS was founded in 2013, we have been on a mission to provide middle school students with the skills and mindset to tackle social and racial inequity, address climate change, and build systems so that people and planet can thrive. Now at the forefront of sustainability education, diverse-by-design and the community-based schools movements, BUGS is a national model for how schools can reimagine teaching and learning to prepare students to become doers, makers, and sustainability change makers.
Created by community members, educators, and families, BUGS not only provides a small, safe, and inclusive middle school for 300 students from across Brooklyn, but also serves as an example of what Educating for Sustainability could look like in our school systems. BUGS students graduate prepared to succeed in high school, college, and the 21st century workplace.