On Monday evening, the Westchester County Board of Legislators celebrated the generosity of the Jadon Foundation and the accomplishments of the 15 recipients of scholarships in the 2021 Jadon Scholars program.
In his opening remarks, Board Chairman Ben Boykin thanked the Jadon Foundation for its continued generosity and commitment. “Recognizing this important program has become a cherished tradition here at the Board … the Jadon Scholars program isn’t just a college scholarship—it is a guiding and generous hand through a student’s college career,” Boykin said.
In a video presentation, Alec Cecil, son of Jadon founders Don and Jane Cecil, said, “My sister, Leslie, and I have been honored with the opportunity to continue in our parents’ footsteps. My parents were huge believers in the value of education and in assisting others to achieve success in life … Now to the graduates—welcome to the community of Jadon Scholars… Much is now expected of you: to work hard, complete school, pursue careers, families, community
service, help others.”
The program awards $12,000 over four years to academically qualifying Westchester public high school seniors with limited resources to help them realize
their dream of a college education. Since the beginning of the program, 320 scholarships have been awarded totaling $2 million.
The Jadon Scholars program is unique in that it follows students through their college careers. Awards are provided in annual, increasing increments as
incentives, and scholarship recipients have access to a network of hundreds of alumni who have come through the program.
(Submitted)
Below is a list of this year’s scholars, the high schools they graduated from and the colleges they will be attending:
• Luis Aguilar, Ossining High School—Mercy College
• Diamond Brown, Roosevelt High School Early Childhood Studies—NYU-Tandon School of Engineering
• Malik Hylton, Gorton High School—Lehman College
• Martinez Jean Claude, Mount Vernon STEAM Academy—Emory University
• Kevin Leak, Woodlands High School—Syracuse University
• Opeyemi Majiyagbe, Riverside High School—Skidmore College
• Katherine Mora, Hendrick Hudson High School—Columbia University
• Katherine Quezada, Peekskill High School—John Jay College of Criminal Justice
• Evelyn Rios, Riverside High School—Northeastern University
• Isac Sacoto, Peekskill High School—Cornell University
• Nicole Santana, Riverside High School—Hunter College
• Gabrielle Sylvester, Mount Vernon High School—New York University
• Luisa Urgiles, Peekskill High School—Binghamton University
• Navaiya Williams, Yonkers Middle High School—Brown University
• Kayla Yan, Mamaroneck High School—University at Buffalo
