OUR STUDENTS
New! Student UpdatesOne part of CSSP's program is that we support students beyond their time in Chappaqua with grants to be able to participate in internships or study abroad.
Raimatou Middlebury College Class 2023 NY Posse 21 CSSP Alum 2019 "Dear CSSP board, I want to express my gratitude for the CSSP grant to study abroad in Cameroun. I am a few weeks from finishing my program here and it is impossible to verbalize how life-changing my experience has been. Cameroun has forced me to question my identity and has deconstructed the previous lens through which I view the world. I now look out into the world with less naiveté and an appreciation for its vastness, diversity, and richness. As for the logistics of the grant, part of the fund was used to cover my airfare to and from Cameroun, another portion, my daily taxi rides to and from my host university, and lastly, the expenses for my textbooks for my African literature course. Again, words can't possibly express my gratitude for making my study abroad in Cameroun possible. Thank you a million times, Javaughn CSSP Alum I was selected to be a part of the Bronx Hope program. Throughout the month of July, I took classes at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine Monday through Thursdays from 9am-2pm. The first two hours consisted of listening to two different health professionals talk about their specific field and each one of them would address a health disparity within their field as that was the focus of the program. The second portion of each session consisted of breaking out into smaller mentor/ mentee groups with medical school students who gave us guidance and advice on the med school application process. The program also required us to complete daily assignments and we did a final video project on a health disparity of our choice. For my project I chose to talk about the GFR test which is a test for kidney disease or failure and the disparity was the fact that Black Americans were greatly under diagnosed compared to their White counterparts. This is due to the fact that there was a multiplier in Black patients which greatly inflated their GFR score and disqualified them from being in the range of needing kidney treatment. I received the best video presentation for this project which I am extremely proud of. |
The CSSP students are currently recruited from two high schools in the Bronx . They are nominated by their guidance counselors to apply to the program and then are interviewed by the board. We look for highly motivated students with excellent academic records who are engaged in their schools and community. Once accepted into the program, they commit to attending CSSP for three consecutive summers.
CSSP students have attended many wonderful schools including: University of Virginia, Brown University, Brandeis, Boston College, Babson College, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Princeton, Dickenson, Syracuse, Cornell, University of Pennsylvania, CUNY Macaulay Honors Program, MIT, Hamilton, Duke, University of Vermont, University of Massachusetts, Barnard, Hunter College, Wesleyan, Williams College, Middlebury College, Villanova, Harvey Mudd College, Connecticut College, and the NYS Maritime Academy. Our students have become engineers, lawyers, technology consultants, teachers, physician’s assistants, university administrators and entrepreneurs. They are volunteers in their communities. |
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Quotes from Our Students
"I look forward to graduating from Dartmouth on June 8th and I know that wouldn't have even been a possibility, if it weren't for your help five summers ago. Thank you for being there for me, for wanting to invest in me, and helping to make my path a bit smoother. Your kindness and consideration does not go unrecognized and I am grateful."
-Royivia Ferguson, Dartmouth 2014, CSSP 2009
"This is a long overdue thank you for all you have done for me. Your financial, academic and personal support has been invaluable through my college career."
-Sieara Lopez, Brandeis 2015, CSSP 2010
"I was among those lucky city students who spent a summer - three summers to be exact - in the homes of the wonderful families of Chappaqua, and I have gained memories there that I will forever treasure. The activities were a perfect mix of education and fun, and yes - even the classes were memorable due to the down-to-earth teachers. And the families - warm and welcoming, and fun to spend time!"
"It was a pleasure - my pleasure - to have been a part of it, and I sincerely hope that more families and students will share in what I and many more have experienced during those summers. May CSSP’s impact never waver!"
"The Chappaqua Summer Scholarship Program is an incredible program designed to inspire young students to achieve their fullest potential. CSSP accomplishes this in the most simplest way possible; by bringing together students with incredible host families from the Chappaqua community."
"I spent three summers in the program and I’ve received a lifetime’s worth of guidance, advice and love from all my host families. The families are exceptional people who are more than happy to share their lives and experiences with us. Moreover, these host families serve as precious role models that exposed me to the successes of hard work and determination. I can only hope that their lives are enriched by us as our lives are enriched by theirs."
"After the first week of enlightening classes, well planned activities, and living in a great home of a loving family, I felt motivated to strive for a life similar to the one I was exposed to. The three summers I spent in Chappaqua is one of the greatest experiences of my life. I still wish I could do it all over again."