Six Columbia GS students were recently awarded the Women’s Forum of New York Education Fund Scholarship: Ronak Elias, Elizabeth Galles, Tahera Hedayati, Raquel Ramirez, Lovestar Rogers, and Massiel Velarde Perez.
The fund provides financial awards for women in New York City who are over 25 and pursuing their first college degrees.
Galles ‘27GS is a double major in psychology and philosophy with a minor in mathematics. As an Education Fund Scholar, Galles plans to pursue her goal of becoming a scientist while involving herself in the Women’s Forum of New York’s mission of uplifting and celebrating women’s achievements.
Since joining GS Galles has enjoyed engaging in with her fellow classmates and learning from the faculty sharing, “the discussions we have—sometimes lasting hours—stimulate and challenge me, and remind me why I love what I study.” With the support of the Women’s Forum of New York Galles shared that, “after graduation, I plan to begin a PhD in cognitive science and dedicate my career to exploring how the mind perceives and constructs temporal experience.”
In addition to becoming an Education Scholar Fund recipient, Massiel Velarde Perez ‘27GS is also a Hispanic Scholarship Fund Scholar and a Stephen Phillips Scholar. At GS Perez is a cognitive science major with a specialization in cognitive neuroscience on the pre-med track. “My dream is to connect science and medicine to make discoveries that genuinely change people’s lives,” she said. After graduating, she aims to pursue a MD/PhD in pediatrics to “better understand how the brain works and use that knowledge to help children affected by neurological conditions.”
As a transfer student from Manchester Community College, Perez noted that being a student at GS has reminded her that, “there’s no single “right” timeline for success, and that learning is so much more meaningful when it’s shared with people who are passionate and resilient.” Perez shared her gratitude for the Women’s Forum of New York: “I’m incredibly grateful for this opportunity and excited to be part of such an empowering network. I hope to stay involved by mentoring and supporting other women who are working toward their goals.”
Since its founding in 1974, the Women’s Forum of New York has served as a space for women to share their ideas and experiences. Recipients of the Education Fund Scholarship are selected for their hard work and effort in restructuring their lives for success.
Congratulations to all of the Women’s Forum of New York Education Fund Scholarship recipients!
