GSS MSW students Holly Fink and Stefanie Nolli Gaspar have both been awarded United Way of Westchester and Putnam’s Ruth Taylor Scholarship. Fink and Gaspar are two of four recipients who collectively received scholarship awards totaling $14,000.
Fink is obtaining her MSW at GSS after pursuing a career in media and the arts. She is the founder of Westchester Jewish Coalition for Immigration, vice president of Neighbors for Refugees, board member of Westchester Jewish Council and Westchester Jewish Center, and advocates for Indivisible Westchester. She is also a gallery educator at the Museum of Jewish History and is an intern at St. Vincent’s Hospital.
“The Ruth Taylor Award is quite meaningful to someone who is going back to school late in life. It gives me a sense of security and also one of accomplishment,” Fink said in United Way’s press release. “In addition, I am proud of being recognized by United Way, an organization that does so much good in our community.”
Nolli Gaspar is the founder and co-director of White Plains Still Dreaming, secretary of Teens Under Construction, and is a domestic violence counselor for My Sisters’ Place. She was featured on the GSS blog back in August for her formation of White Plains Still Dreaming and all the group’s successes.
“I am interested in continuing my work with addressing generational trauma and healing in families and diverse communities,” she wrote in the scholarship application. “I want to combine my studies with my background and work closely with communities to gain access and autonomy fighting towards human rights and social justice.”
According to the United Way website, “The Ruth Taylor Scholarship was established in tribute to Ruth Taylor upon her retirement as Westchester County’s Commissioner of Public Welfare and in recognition of her nearly four decades of outstanding service. The annual awards are sponsored by United Way of Westchester and Putnam, Westchester County Government and the Urban League of Westchester County.”
