Scholarship Press Release

Scholarship Press Release

Adversity to Prosperity to Award Three Scholarships to Bridgeport Youth

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: John Ramos Phone: 203-228-7513
Email: [email protected]


The Board of Directors of Adversity to Prosperity has selected three outstanding candidates to receive scholarship awards. These scholarships will be awarded during a special ceremony on August 7, 2017 from 3:00-4:00pm at the Harding High School Library in Bridgeport, CT.

The “April E. Ogden & Margaret Gaskin” Scholarship was established in memory of Adversity to Prosperity’s co-founders. April Ogden, Thea Elliott’s Mother and Margaret Gaskin, Tyrone Elliott’s aunt both had a passion for serving others and believed in the power of education. April dropped out of high school, but obtained her GED and had plans to attend college prior to unexpectedly passing away in the 1980’s. Margaret believed strongly in the power of education and female empowerment. She graduated with her Master’s degree in social work from Fordham University, but unfortunately she lost her battle to cancer in 2012. This scholarship seeks to recognize female candidates who are high school seniors and have demonstrated perseverance to overcome adversity and achieve their academic goals. The scholarship to be awarded is in the amount of $1,000.

The “Donald J. Rully” Scholarship was established to honor the life of Donald J, Rully. Don was an avid participant in sports as a youth and avid supporter of youth sports as an adult. He graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in broadcast journalism and spent much of his career covering amateur sports. While attending Staples High School, Don was awarded the Thomas De Huff Memorial Award which recognized a young man who was academically gifted and had the spirit of an athlete. This scholarship seeks to recognize a male or female candidate who is a high school senior and has demonstrated the willingness to work hard and desire to share. The scholarship to be awarded is in the amount of $1,000.

The John J. Ramos, Sr., Ed.D “Prosperous” Scholarship was established in honor of Dr. Ramos, who was Superintendent of Schools in Bridgeport, CT. Under his leadership, the district developed an aggressive goal to ensure all graduating students were “college-ready” and implemented the positive mantra to “Expect Great Things” from Connecticut’s largest city. The scholarship seeks to recognize candidates who are minority female or male students and are pursuing a career in the education field. The scholarship to be awarded is in the amount of $1,000.

The deadline to apply for all three scholarships for 2017 was June 22, 2017.

Visit the Adversity to Prosperity website following the ceremony to learn about the recipients, see their photos, read a few words about their hopes and aspirations, and to donate toward scholarship awards for 2018 www.adversitytoprosperity.org.