Back to Alumni

As an Early Childhood Education student at BMCC, Martha Santos set her goal: to open her own pre-school and influence education policy one day. Now a graduate of BMCC, this single mother of a young child attends New York University’s Steinhart School of Education. In addition to our financial support, Martha was awarded a $20,000 scholarship through NYU’s Community College Transfer Opportunity Program. Martha, who came to the U.S. from Ecuador, was active in student government while at BMCC where she also served as a peer mentor and launched the school’s first Spanish-language magazine. She has also tutored low-income children at Jumpstart, a non-profit organization devoted to early education.

“I have a daughter—I had to be a mother first and then be a student. I didn’t know how I could afford it or how I would be able to dedicate enough time for school. But through the program I started to see that it actually was possible. I am so much more confident now and determined to get the things I want out of life.” – Martha Santos