Every year, we invite juniors who have demonstrated academic excellence to apply for our Peter M. Flanigan Scholarship. This honor affords select students the opportunity to receive up to $10,000 per year in funds toward college tuition and a network of support. This year, we selected five Flanigan Scholars. Meet them below!
Christian Cabral, All Hallows High School
Hello, I am Christian Cabral, a 17-year-old Junior attending All Hallows High School with aspirations to become an airline pilot. I truly believe that being accepted into the Student Sponsorship Program will serve as the catalyst that helped all my dreams come true. Through it I have gained hope, new opportunities but most remarkably - a family. Though it’ll be bittersweet to leave my second home, I’m really looking forward to senior year. I hope to finish the year strong and continue to build and establish connections. I can’t wait to continue to strengthen my friendships with my All Hallows brothers. Most of all, I can’t wait to feel the sense of accomplishment that will accompany completing four years of education at one of the best catholic high schools. Looking ahead, I plan to enroll in a university that allows me to major in a degree in aviation while also completing the training necessary to obtain the necessary licenses. Being an SSP student was already an honor but becoming a recipient of the Peter M. Flanagan scholarship has been a privilege and a blessing. I hope to give back as much love, time, and dedication back into the program as was generously gifted to me. See you in the skies!
Angel Garcia, Cristo Rey Brooklyn High School
My name is Angel Garcia, and I am a junior at Cristo Rey Brooklyn High School. My SSP experience has been amazing, thanks to the tremendous support I have received throughout my high school career. SSP has always checked up on me, ensured I felt comfortable in my environment, and ultimately made my high school experience significantly better.
With senior year approaching, I’m proud of how far I’ve come and eagerly looking forward to graduating and moving on to the next chapter of my life. In college, my goals are to become more independent, learn valuable life lessons and mold myself into the adult I aspire to be. After completing my bachelor’s and master’s degrees, I aspire to start my own business and achieve financial success to support my family.
Melody Lebron, Nazareth Regional High School
My Name is Melody Lebron. I am 16 years old and a Junior at Nazareth Regional High School. I enjoy singing, drawing, watching the sunset, and playing volleyball. I enjoy trying new things and learning new things as well. I want to be an Interior Designer; being able to decorate a room and bring ideas to life sounds fun and creative to me. I’m grateful for the life I am living and for the support I have been receiving from my friends and family throughout this journey of growing up.
My SSP experience has been amazing. I feel like this organization is so in touch with students and their best interests that it makes you want to engage. I feel like SSP truly cares. I love the College trips that they plan, the events they invite students too and the extra reminders that they email. It’s the little things that can help someone achieve great things. SSP has given me the opportunity to reach my goals and I will be forever grateful.
In my senior year, I am looking forward to finding the right college, cherishing the moments I have left with my friends and teachers, and being able to continue the journey of growing. In my senior year, I really want to be able to learn new things such as how to choose the right college, the necessities I need in college, and how to prepare for college. I also want to have fun and go on my senior trip and prom and enjoy the times I have left with my fellow classmates and friends.
My goal for college is to get on the right track for my career. Work hard to get to that place of success and happiness. I want to meet new people that I will be able to learn from and that will push me to my goal and vice versa. I want to get my bachelor's and maybe even my Masters.
My goals and dreams for the future are to become a CEO and maybe have my own Interior Design firm. Initially, I want to be able to have a stable life and career so I’m able to provide for not only myself but for my family as well. I would also like to be able to be a voice for other young women in the world that feel like life is hard and remind them that they can achieve anything they put their hearts and minds too.
Elizabeth McNeil, Bishop Loughlin High School
My name is Elizabeth, and I'm a student at Bishop Loughlin. I'm proud to be a member of the National Honor Society, which reflects my dedication to academic excellence. I'm extremely passionate about music, especially being a part of the school band, where I get to express my creativity and love for performing. Science is another field that fascinates me, driving me to explore and understand the world around me, as my dream is to become an anesthesiologist. I'm excited for all of the events my school has coming up for me and my class as my senior year approaches. But most importantly, SSP has done nothing but help and support me in a variety of ways, but the most remarkable will have to be the networking opportunities. SSP has allowed me to find people along the way through all the events hosted throughout the school year, even during the summer.
Zenobia Rakhangi, Academy of Mount Saint Ursula
My name is Zenobia Rakhangi, and I am 16 years old. My hobbies include watching tv shows, reading books, and listening to music. What I'm looking forward to the most in my senior year is probably the new courses that I will be able to take, and hopefully having a calmer year than junior year. My goals in college are to study neuropsychiatry and my career goal is to work in the field of neurology. My SSP mentor has been a great inspiration for me, and I've gotten a lot of useful advice from her which has resulted in a better high school experience for me. I've had a great experience with SSP so far. The program has helped me a lot throughout high school and the values I've learned will continue to help me move forward.
