Five GS Students Receive Women’s Forum of New York Scholarship

Five GS students—Alexis Baltazar ‘27GS, Ana Luiza Castro ‘27GS, Eunice Park ‘28GS, Lauren Rappa ‘27GS and Xingxing Hu ‘28GS—received this year’s Women’s Forum of New York Education Fund Scholarship, a financial award for exceptional women over the age of 25 who are pursuing their first college degrees in New York City.

Baltazar is working toward a linguistics major and plans to attend law school after Columbia. Previously, she served in the U.S. Army as a linguist, trained in Russian at the Defense Language Institute, and then worked as a paralegal to help represent individuals who faced discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in the workplace. That work, she says, is what led her to apply to GS. 

Baltazar sees her nontraditional path—which was shaped by early mental health struggles and a period away from school as she found her footing and navigated motherhood—as a source of strength that crystallised her sense of purpose and her direction. “You are probably ten thousand times smarter, stronger, wiser, and more prepared than you were at the traditional college age,” she said, “especially if you faced significant obstacles earlier on.”

Since coming to Columbia with a Phi Theta Kappa scholarship, Castro, who’s majoring in neuroscience and behavior, has volunteered at a research lab at the New York Medical College, been published as a co-author in The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal, and is working towards her goal of completing an MD and pursuing surgical residency. 

Castro’s non-linear path to Columbia is something she views as an asset. "I'm certain the wisdom, maturity, and resilience I gained would not have been the same had I not diverged from a traditional path." This perspective is part of what drew her to the Women's Forum in the first place, and she hopes to stay involved in its mission of supporting and empowering other women after graduation.

Rappa is a political science major who began rebuilding her life after leaving a high-control religious organization that discouraged higher education. Starting at community college online while working full time, she was offered an invitation to apply to Columbia GS and is now applying to law school with the Education Funds' financial support. 

Rappa learned about the Women’s Forum after being inducted into the GS Honor Society, and has found meaning in the community itself. "I was intrigued by the idea of a scholarship specifically for women going to college later in life. It made me realize my situation was not as rare as I thought, and there was a group of women in the same place as me. Being connected with that group of women is an honor." 

Formerly an English and Spanish interpreter in South Korea, Park took a chance on herself and applied for college during the COVID-19 pandemic. She soon earned four Associate of Arts degrees at Santa Monica College with highest honors, became the Vice President of Scholarship for her college’s Phi Theta Kappa chapter, and is now pursuing a major in neuroscience and behavior while remaining active in student life. 

As a self-supporting student, she says that the Education Fund’s support is immensely significant: “It gives me some room to breathe and allows me to devote more of my time and energy to my education.” Park hopes to become a marriage and family therapist, and to give back to the people and communities that have supported her in her unique journey. 

Established in 1987, the Women’s Forum of New York Education Fund recognizes and awards the hard work of its grantees in overcoming personal adversity and striving towards greater life experiences and opportunities. Congratulations to all of the Women’s Forum of New York Education Fund Scholarship recipients!