If there is one thing many people can agree on, it’s that growing up in Central Islip has shaped who they are today. Janelle Jandayran explained, “If we were to grow up anywhere else, we wouldn’t be the same person. That’s why it is important that when you are a part of a community, you are willing to give back.” The alumni from the graduating classes of 2016 and 2017 have done just that.

During a roadtrip to visit a friend, Litzy Escobar, in Albany, Pharez Varlack first brought the idea of a scholarship to his friends, Mohmmad Hassan and Nelson Lopez. He explained that he had been thinking about starting a scholarship for Central Islip students. Varlack mentioned that after reaching his saving goals, something important he wanted to do was give back, specifically to his community. Once he mentioned this to everyone in his circle, they all agreed and were really excited to start it. However, what does it mean to them to be a part of this?

For the majority of them, the answer is quite simple: They felt it was important for them to give back to the community that helped them become the people they are today. Jandayran acknowledges that living in Central Islip isn’t perfect, but there tends to be experiences that not every other person goes through. This is why the community, specifically this group, has stuck together for so long. For example, she highlights that she and Lopez have known each other since second grade and how she met others in later years of elementary school. Even when people join the community later, such as Hassan, who started attending the Central Islip School District during his ninth grade year, they are still able to connect to the community’s environment and people. They’ve all become involved in this community and they’ve seen how it has helped them and their families. They attribute a big part of their positive experiences, fortitude, and  being where they are now to the community. “This is a community where some students just need that push,” said Jandayran.  They hope that through scholarships they can inspire others to be the push for students to reach their full potential. Varlack added that even receiving a small scholarship can help ease the burden on parents. Now that he is in a stage of his life where he is able to give back and provide that same feeling he had to other people, he describes it as an incredible feeling. 

So, how does the Alumni scholarship receive the funds for the scholarship? All the money collected is through donations from other alumni, friends and families, and others who heard about the scholarship. All the donations they receive go back to the community. 

Ms. Escobar made a point to mention how people from Central Islip tend to have a great sense of pride. The alumni group noticed that the donations came from all graduating years. She believes that something that has really helped, especially with their first year launching this scholarship, is the closeness of the community. As she put it, “If we were in a different district that wasn’t as close-knit as CI, it would be very hard.” Additionally, with the closeness of the community and the use of social media, it was much easier to spread the word and reach those that want to help them reach their goal. Varlack wants to give a special shout out to @ciconnectsforchange because they partnered to help collect funds and also helped them with the legal aspects of fundraising. 

Every scholarship looks for a particular type of person. To the Alumni, it’s important for the ideal candidate to be more than just academic with a passionate for learning. Through the Alumni’s interview process, they look for their ideal candidate to carry a sense of leadership and engagement in the community. Students planning to apply must be currently involved in the community and willing to make a commitment to stay involved later on. Lastly, the scholarship is looking for students who can persevere through difficult times and be willing to change to adapt to certain situations. 

The scholarship winners were announced at Senior Award Night and on Social Media. The committee will remain in contact with any winners to see how they are doing and give them support throughout their future. Class of 2017 alum, Nelson Lopez explains, “I think that as much as we’re doing this as a scholarship donation, like a financial need, we also recognize the fact that, as alumni, we are able to give you feedback or advice where needed. We want to keep up with scholarship people later on to see how they’ve been doing, what challenges they had and give them an outlet for them to reach out to if they need some sort of guidance or consolation.” 

Despite this being the first year, the alumni hold bigger ambitions and intentions with the scholarship. They plan on making the scholarship an annual offering, with it constantly expanding and growing each year. The committee is also planning on being more involved and active with the events going on around the community to raise awareness and increase overall CI pride. 

The Alumni acknowledge that there have been changes in the school itself. Escobar and Lopez mention that they hear about new classes and new sports teams from their younger siblings who are students at the high school. While there have been improvements to the school, one thing that has stayed the same and will continue to stay the same is the culture. As Lopez puts it, “the support is still there, the teachers are still passionate, the urge to see students succeed is always there.” They recognize that people who graduate from Central Islip and want to come back to Central Islip continue with the same passion and culture as they did when they left. They especially highlight Stephen Saltus, who graduated in 2016, and returned to Central Islip to teach technology at the Reed Middle School. Saltus remembers going through the technology program throughout the district and going to college and realizing there were certain skills his fellow classmates had been working on since seventh grade, while his first exposure was in college. This helped him realize he wanted to return to his district to develop the program to help his students have exposure that wasn’t available when he was a student. 

The alumni were able to provide nine scholarships from the $16,000 collected. These awards were divided into six $1000 scholarships, two $2500 scholarships, and one $5000 scholarship. The winner of these scholarships were:

• Toni-Ann Bernard- $1000
• Rochelle Elliott- $1000
• Oscar Paredes-  $1000
• Jazmine Alfaro- $1000
• Azly Naranjo- $5000
• Chelsea Alvarenga- $2500
• Catherine Chavarria- $1000
• Ximena Medrano- $1000
• Jose Peña- $1000
  

The alumni recognized all the teachers and organizations who have helped out with the scholarship, especially Mr. Ehrhardt and CI Connects for Change. They are grateful to everyone in the community who helped donate and promote their scholarship.  They also had a message especially for the students: Don’t be afraid to apply for this scholarship. Even if you don’t have perfect grades or you don’t think you have enough experience, the interview is where you can be yourself and explain the great ways that you plan to give back to CI. 

Click here for more information about the CIHS Alumni Scholarship, including how to donate.