Columbia GS is proud to welcome three incoming students from the Kaplan Leadership Program: Marco Alvarez, Shaheim Kellum, and Joseph Sahap!
Now in its 18th cohort, the Kaplan Leadership Program provides robust support to high-potential, low-income students from underserved communities as they complete their associate degrees and transfer to selective four-year institutions.
Marco Alvarez comes to GS from CUNY Hostos Community College and is a member of the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Honor Society. Born in Mexico City, Alvarez came to the U.S. and New York City as a baby and spent time in the foster care system while growing up in the Bronx. After a turbulent young adulthood, Alvarez earned his GED and was an honors student at Hostos. Alongside being a Kaplan Leadership Scholar, Alvarez is also a Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholar. His long-term goal is to launch a nonprofit addressing community disparities. As he put it, “I want to bring more selflessness into the world.”
In addition to being a Kaplan Leadership Scholar, CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) transfer student Shaheim Kellum is also a BMCC-Columbia NYC Scholar. Raised in Brooklyn and a Bronx resident, Kellum returned to school at BMCC after an over 20-year break and survived a major health crisis in his very first semester, eventually graduating from BMCC with honors. Reflecting on his selection as a BMCC-Columbia NYC Scholar, and his academic journey, Kellum shared, “as a Black father, a first-generation college student, and a nontraditional scholar, being selected…affirms that stories like mine belong at Columbia. It tells my children and everyone watching that discipline, faith, and purpose can take you anywhere.”
Like Kellum, Joseph Sahap also comes to GS from BMCC, where he majored in computer science. Born in New York City, Sahap spent most of his childhood in Sweden and Istanbul and is fluent in seven languages. While at BMCC, he completed a year-long project through the CUNY Research Scholars Program with the mentorship of computer science Professor Hao Tang. “Our work aims to improve urban accessibility for disabled, blind or visually impaired individuals,” said Sahap at the time. “We’re doing this by developing software to integrate sensors that make sidewalks easier to navigate.” At Columbia and beyond, Sahap hopes to continue to use technology to drive innovation and equity.
Congratulations and a warm welcome to our Columbia GS Kaplan Leadership Scholars!
