New York City High-School Students Earn Prestigious Scholarships

NEW YORK—Abdel Ahmed, of Queen’s Bard High School Early College II, was one of seven New York City high school students to win a Milken Family Foundation scholarship on Monday.

“I felt great in many senses,” Ahmed said. He will receive $10,000 in scholarships and other benefits such as mentorship from past scholars. “The scholarship, the whole Milken Foundation, is great.”

Ahmed, who plans to study computer science at Polytechnic Institute of New York University this fall, said past Milken scholars, including several who attended the same school or share the same major, have emailed him offering congratulations and support.

The bar has been raised high for potential scholars. Requirements include a minimum grade point average of 3.6, or 90 percent, in all academic subject areas, actively participate in community service, and have a financial need.

Ahmed met the scholarship’s criteria by tutoring younger students and helping hospital patients with translation services.

Another winner, Michael Glasser boasted an A+ in most classes, earned multiple educational awards, and mentored a younger student for three years. Glasser, of Regis High School on the Upper East Side, was “not just a dedicated student; he is a burgeoning intellectual,” said one teacher, according to the scholarship’s website.

“I was very excited,” Glasser said. “I’ve learned through various sources that Milken is an unbelievable program.”

Support from the foundation includes meetings on campus at least twice a year, being flown out to a summer summit in L.A. to meet other scholars and alumni from around the nation, and a network of Milken scholars “who are willing to talk to you and love to talk to you,” said Glasser, who will attend Wesleyan University as a double English and Neuroscience major.

A celebration dinner for the seven student winners will be held on June 16 at the Grand Hyatt New York.

“The remarkable young women and men who’ve been selected as Milken Scholars over the past 23 years have consistently worked to make the world a better place,” said Milken Family Foundation co-founder Michael Milken in a release. “Whether they become doctors, research scientists, educators, entrepreneurs, or diplomats, the common denominator of their pursuits has been a genuine sense of service.”

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