ESL Scholarship Winners

ESL Scholarships Awarded

Peconic Bay Zonta Awards Two Scholarships to ESL Students

Maria Esthefany Palacios of Mastic and Maria Puente of Ronkonkoma each won a $350 scholarship from Peconic Bay Zonta, a nonprofit group that works to improve the status of women and girls. The local Zonta group, which covers the East End of Long Island, awards the scholarship twice per year to one or more female students who successfully complete level 3 of English as a Second Language (ESL) program at the Riverhead campus of Suffolk County Community College (SCCC) and are studying to achieve an educational goal.

Palacios, a resident of Mastic, emigrated to the U.S. from Venezuela three years ago. She was a doctor (specifically, a general practitioner) working at a hospital in her native country. Currently working as a driver for DoorDash, she hopes to improve her English-speaking and writing skills at SCCC, and continue her health care career in the U.S.

“It was hard to get by in the U.S. in the beginning because I didn’t know the language. I couldn’t express myself until I took courses at SCCC,” she said. “It has been a great experience and changed my life.”

Puente, a single mother who lives in Ronkonkoma with her 18-year-old son, currently works as a nursing assistant at the Long Island State Veterans Home in Stony Brook, but her goal is to become a licensed practical nurse.

“I came to the U.S. from Peru twenty years ago, but now that my son will be going to college, I have time to improve my English and continue my studies,” Puente said.

Peconic Bay Zonta is affiliated with Zonta International, a nonprofit organization that seeks to build a better world for women and girls.

East Hampton Resident Wins Scholarship from Peconic Bay Zonta

Julieta Medina won a $350 scholarship from Peconic Bay Zonta, a nonprofit group that works to improve the status of women and girls. The local Zonta group, which covers the East End of Long Island, awards the scholarship twice per year to a female student who successfully completes level 3 of the English as a Second Language program at the Riverhead campus of Suffolk County Community College and is studying to achieve an educational goal.

“This scholarship helps me and others financially, but above all, it is the motivation to continue forward,” Medina wrote in her scholarship application. “My future plans are to continue studying immigration law in order to help the migrant community to solve their legal problems.”

Medina, who is employed as a housekeeper, resides in East Hampton with her mother, five brothers, and two daughters. She expects to give birth to a son before the end of 2022. A native of Colombia, Medina has been in the U.S. for almost three years. She studied business and marketing for two years at a university in Colombia and is now interested in pursuing immigration law because she has a great deal of experience in it through helping 16 of her family members to complete all the necessary immigration documents upon entering the U.S. 

Encompassing the East End of Long Island, Peconic Bay Zonta is affiliated with Zonta International, a nonprofit organization that seeks to build a better world for women and girls.

Peconic Bay Zonta Awards Scholarship to Westhampton Beach Resident

Matilde Moncada of Westhampton Beach won a scholarship from Peconic Bay Zonta, a nonprofit group that works to improve the status of women and girls. The local Zonta group awards the scholarship twice per year to a female student who successfully completes level 3 of the English as a Second Language program at the Riverhead campus of Suffolk County Community College and is studying to achieve an educational goal.

Moncada, who moved from Nicaragua earlier this year to become a permanent U.S. resident, was an English teacher for first-grade students in her native country. She also taught marketing and publicity at John Paul II University in Nicaragua. Moncada holds bachelor’s degrees in both education and social communication, and she is currently working online to earn her master’s degree in education from John Paul II University.

“My dream is to teach English in the U.S. and to help those in need of better opportunities,” Moncada said. “This scholarship will help me to save money in order to fulfill my biggest dream of becoming a bilingual teacher.”

East Quogue Resident Wins Peconic Bay Zonta Scholarship

Edith Jadira Castaneda, a resident of East Quogue, won a $300 scholarship from Peconic Bay Zonta, a nonprofit group that works to improve the status of women and girls. The local Zonta group awards the scholarship biannually to a female student who successfully completed level 3 of the English as a Second Language (ESL) program at the Riverhead campus of Suffolk County Community College (SCCC) and is studying to achieve an educational goal.

Castaneda works at busing tables at a local golf course, but she said her “frustrated dream” is to become a nurse to help people in a hospital setting. She would like to pursue her studies to achieve that goal.

The scholarship will allow Castaneda to improve her English and her career skills so that she can “provide a better life for my kids and parents,” she said.

Castaneda and her husband, a carpenter, have twins, age 15. Her parents live in Ecuador, Castaneda’s native country.

Zhuzhanna Mihal of Moriches

Zhuzhanna Mihal of Moriches won a $300 scholarship from Peconic Bay Zonta, a service and advocacy group that works to improve the status of women. Peconic Bay Zonta scholarship chair Mary Ann Miller (left) presented Mihal with the award at Suffolk County Community College’s eastern campus, where she successfully completed Level 3 of the school’s English as a Second Language (ESL) program. The local Zonta group awards the scholarship biannually to a female student in the college’s ESL program who is studying to achieve an educational goal.

A native of Ukraine, Mihal came to the U.S. one year ago to reconnect with her family. She and her nine-year-old son now reside with Mihal’s sister and her family, and her mother.

Based in Riverhead, Peconic Bay Zonta covers the East End of Long Island and is affiliated with Zonta International, which works to empower women worldwide through service and advocacy.

Myra Lopez of Riverhead

Myra Lopez (center) of Riverhead won a $300 scholarship from Peconic Bay Zonta, a service and advocacy group that works to improve the status of women.

Peconic Bay Zonta members Diane Greenberg (left) and Barbara Pierce joined Lopez, pictured with her award, at Suffolk County Community College’s eastern campus, where she successfully completed Level 3 of the school’s English as a Second Language (ESL) course. The local Zonta group awards the scholarship biannually to a female student in an ESL program who is studying to achieve an educational goal.

Lopez came to the U.S. from Guatemala eleven years ago. Her husband is also a native of Guatemala, and their two sons, ages 5 and 9, are learning to be bilingual. Lopez has a background in teaching, and she is currently a teacher’s aide in the Riverhead Head Start program. She serves as translator for the Spanish-speaking children in the program and also acts as a translator for some of the parents when they speak with the teacher.

Peconic Bay Zonta covers the East End of Long Island and is affiliated with Zonta International, which works to empower women worldwide through service and advocacy.

Wilma Ramirez

Wilma Ramirez, scholarship winner, along with Diane Greenberg (left) and Liala Strotman (right).