The 58th Annual Atlantic Cape Community College Foundation Scholarship Recognition Ceremony acknowledged the unwavering generosity and continued support of the College’s sponsors and donors. The Foundation also recognized the tremendous academic achievements of Atlantic Cape’s students by awarding 422 individual scholarships worth $408,815 to 242 students on May 19 in the Jonathan Pitney Hall Gymnasium on the Mays Landing campus.
Seated at the tables together throughout the duration of the ceremony, student scholarship recipients, and their invited guest(s), had the opportunity to meet their respective donor(s) who generously provided the funding for their academic scholarships.
Atlantic Cape President Dr. Barbara Gaba thanked the many scholarship donors in attendance for their continuous support of the College’s students and welcomed members of the College’s Board of Trustees, Leadership Cabinet, Scholarship Selection Committee and Financial Aid department for their hard work and commitment to this annual celebration.
“I am honored as President of Atlantic Cape to be here tonight to celebrate the achievements of our students, as well as recognize and thank our donors for supporting and creating opportunity for our deserving students,” said Gaba. “We cannot do this important work alone. The support from our philanthropic community is essential to our success. I am so proud of the positive impact our work has on all the students for over 60 years. I look forward to many more years of success and achievement ahead.”
Delivering the ceremony’s welcoming remarks, New Jersey Legislature, District Two, Assemblyman Donald A. Guardian touted the benefits that the State’s community colleges play in the lives of its students and communities.
“Recipients, congratulations for earning this award tonight. Community colleges provide you with affordable continuing education, it helps determine what the jobs are going to be five, 10 and 20 years down the road, and develops the curriculum that will provide the skill set for you to earn a good paying job. We want you to be happy with the job you’re doing and I want you to live in Atlantic County, raise a family here and to enjoy the beautiful things that we have in South Jersey. And, it’s the College that helps make that possible,” said Guardian.
Foundation Secretary Stephen R. Nehmad, Esq. ’72 is tremendously proud of the work that the Foundation does throughout the year to raise scholarship funds for Atlantic Cape students.
“To all recipients of the scholarships, it gives us benefactors great pride in doing what we do. I think it gives us greater pride in giving than in the receiving. The immediate results and how we help those who we provide scholarships for and help literally changes lives so much for the better,” said Nehmad. “On behalf of the Foundation, I want extend our most sincere welcome for best wishes and continued success in all your endeavors. We’re only too happy to help and we greatly enjoy doing what we do for you.”
The positive impact that the power of giving makes was emphasized throughout the evening. Two Atlantic Cape students, who were recipients of various scholarships this year, spoke of the life-altering experiences that these financial awards did for their education and their lives.
Michael Heston, a Liberal Arts with a Sociology option major who received the Samuel & Gladys Levinson and Day of Giving scholarships, spoke about his early struggles in education, finding himself at Atlantic Cape and how his two scholarships will allow him to continue his higher education journey.
“Growing up, when I would ask about college, I was told that it is not for me and now I have to figure out other options. I thought college was only for people with money, and coming from a low socioeconomic background, this idea quickly became truth to me. This eventually led me to dropping out of high school early. I joined the workforce and bounced between jobs before eventually finding a secure job at the Atlantic City Rescue Mission as the voluntary coordinator.
“I then became curious about higher education, but I didn’t have a high school diploma. I knew I had to start with that and I was able to get my GED in 2019. By 2023, I was attending Atlantic Cape and thanks to the scholarships I have received tonight, I will be able to continue to pursue my long-term goal of earning a college degree while being able to take care of my family comfortably. I am very grateful for being chosen as a recipient. Thank you to the donors and the Foundation for making this possible.”
Brooke Ramirez, a Nursing major who received the Robert Hunter Doherty Memorial Scholarship, the Angelic Health Foundation Social Work Scholarship, the AAUW Marion MacEwan Second Chance Scholarship committee, and the Hollander Memorial Foundation Scholarship, spoke about achieving her lifelong dream of earning her college degree.
“These scholarships are particularly meaningful to me because they will help me continue a lifelong dream of mine and lessen the financial burden. As a mother, I wanted to prove to my daughter, no matter the obstacle we can achieve what we put our minds to, even while working full-time in a healthcare facility, being a full-time student, a devoted mother and wife. It is possible,” said Ramirez. “Thanks to your generosity, you have made my goal possible.”
Alumni Association Executive Council President and Atlantic Cape Foundation Trustee Ahmet Sahingoz ’19, who immigrated to America 10 years ago from Turkey with his mother and father, and Atlantic Cape Foundation Trustee Hugh Turner spoke to the importance of giving back to the community and to the College.
“We moved here with pretty much one reason only, which was for me to get a better education and build a good future for myself. For the past 10 years, for me and my parents, we have experienced so many great things. That’s why we’ve been feeling indebted to the College and the community. That is why for the past few years we’ve been sponsoring the Sahingoz Family Scholarship. We are committed to paying back as we,” said Sahingoz.
“Tonight, is the culmination of a year-long fundraising effort and to me it’s the most satisfying event of the year. This is where, we the donors, the Foundation Board members and College Board members, get to see and meet the recipients of these scholarships, while also celebrating with their family and friends. This event keeps me motivated to raise even more money as we go forward to next year,” said Turner.
The evening’s festivities were attended by 107 students, 103 guests and 106 College faculty/staff/Board members and donors. The outpouring of giving from such donors has allowed the Atlantic Cape Foundation to support thousands of Atlantic and Cape May County students over the past 58 years and given them the financial means to pursue their academic dreams.
In Giving Year 2024, the Foundation awarded 527 scholarships worth $792,000 to Atlantic Cape students. The Foundation received $1.14 million from 753 donors and sponsors. Meanwhile, $45,000 was raised in direct support for Atlantic Cape, $17,690 was raised for emergency funds and $12,470 for the Campus Food Pantry.
Since the Foundation’s beginning in 1978, it has raised more than $8 million for student scholarships, academic programs and enhancing the campus environment. The Foundation’s mission is to provide funding and support to the college, its students and educational endeavors through special event fundraising and community philanthropy.
View a photo gallery from this event on Flickr here.
Visit atlanticcape.edu/give to help support the Atlantic Cape Foundation.
Literary and photographic credit: Atlantic Cape Community College
