Paved in Gold
eventually became one of only a few women executives working on Wall Street at the time. Growing up as one of five daughters in a blue-collar, working-class family in Johnson City, N.Y., she developed a strong appreciation for what opportunities could be created through hard work and economy. That’s why she picked up extra coursework over the summer to complete her degree a semester early. As much as it pained her to lose a final semester with friends such as her roommate, Terri Converso Slater ’80, she wanted to save the expense of another semester and room and board.
Many Possibilities on The Path FORWARD When Daniel Garcia ’20 (above) graduated from high school in the Bronx, he had little idea of what to expect from college, nor what he wanted to study when he got there. Raised by his mother who was unable to work due to medical reasons, he said they were “struggling to make ends meet … living in a deteriorating apartment and only affording other necessities such as food because of governmental assistance programs,” he said. “College seemed impossible. I knew though, that pursuing a higher education would ultimately help me and my family escape our dire economic situation.” A first-generation college student, Daniel accepted admission at SUNY Oswego—far from home in an unfamiliar setting—mostly because of the generous scholarship package that he received as a Marano Scholar. “I feel fortunate to have been able to study here and learn about a subject I didn’t even know existed when I was in high school,” said the December 2020 computer science graduate. “I didn’t own or have easy access to a computer before attending SUNY Oswego, so being a computer science major wasn’t something even possible for me four years ago. But being selected as a Marano Scholar, I’ve been able to study whatever interested me. And, now, here I am graduating. I am incredibly grateful.”
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Daniel is one of more than 600 students who receive privately funded scholarships each year at SUNY Oswego. In November 2019, College President Deborah F. Stanley announced the Path Forward campaign to double the number of needbased scholarships available to students at Oswego from 220 to 440 by June 30, 2021. So far, donors have established a total of 180 new need-based scholarships for current Lakers. Stories like Daniel’s shine a light on the many paths opened to students by attending SUNY Oswego. Their higher education experience expands their confidence, skills, curiosity and willingness to accept a challenge – all of which stay with Lakers throughout their life.
Today, Jeanne has created a scholarship to assist a current SUNY Oswego student who needs financial assistance to remain in college, earn a college degree and hopefully not miss out on the college experience. “[President Stanley] told us about how kids were dropping out of school because they couldn’t come up with less than $1,000,” Jeanne said. “I could totally relate to that. I remember in my family money was tight. I remember at one point not knowing how I was going to come up with money for a car repair and that feeling of needing $500 or whatever it was back then. So when [President Stanley] said there are students who receive financial aid but just can’t quite cover their costs, that just tugged at my heart strings.” Little did she know that receiving a thankyou letter from Winston White ’23 (pictured left), the first recipient of the Jeanne Jones ’80 Scholarship, would be an even more emotionally charged experience. “I almost cried,” she said. “I didn’t think it would affect me this way. I feel connected to him. I’m rooting for him.”
Take, for example, Jeanne Drahos Jones ’80 (above left). The path that she took after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from SUNY Oswego was anything but expected. Instead of accepting a teaching position as she planned, she forged a career as an equity trader and
For Winston, he said receiving the scholarship gets him closer to his dream of becoming the first in his family to graduate from college. The scholarship also inspires him to pursue his double major in theatre and broadcasting and mass communication with an ultimate goal of becoming a successful actor and performing musical theatre on Broadway.
