October 16, 2023 -作为一个骄傲的圣母校友, John Liporace ’88 has channeled his passion and determination into making a difference in the lives of others. 15年来，他一直经营着自己的非营利组织， JLS Foundation, which is dedicated to providing college scholarships to high school students in financial need who come from his hometown of Hoosick Falls, New York. 该基金会以他已故的父亲老约翰·利伯拉斯(John Liporace Sr .)的名字命名.是对这个给予他太多的小镇的一种回报.

作为第一代大学生, 利波拉斯的灵感来自于他的父亲和他的圣母经历, 从20世纪80年代他第一次来到校园开始, 一直延续到今天. His Marist experience inspired him to be civic-minded and also propelled him to a very successful career as a Managing Partner at Taylor, 纽约一家领先的消费者营销传播机构.

关注第一代大学生

“我想回馈社会，”利波拉斯说. “I felt like there was something more I could be doing by trying to find students that needed and deserved my help the most. 我读过的bet亚洲365欢迎投注第一代学生的一切, and if you help them get through college and into a career and it can really break what is sometimes a cycle of poverty. So, it’s a worthy cause.”

88年的约翰·利伯拉斯在Hoosick Falls高中的旧储物柜旁.

While already engaged in valuable efforts to provide financial assistance to students in need for their college education, 李波拉斯渴望扩大自己的影响力. This summer, he enabled four deserving prospective first-generation college students with financial need, from Hoosick Falls, 参加母校的大学预科课程, Marist. These scholarships weren’t solely about financial support; they symbolized a commitment to breaking the cycle for deserving students facing financial constraints and unlocking doors to a brighter future and a generational impact.

“研究表明，帮助第一代学生, 尤其是那些有重大经济需求的人, 读完大学，事业有成, 这是促进经济和社会流动性的最有效方法之一吗,” said Liporace. “如果我们能让第一代学生读完大学，进入这些职业, 这种流动性通常会持续几代人.”

(从左到右)索菲亚·戈尔曼, Sade Fitz, Keira Chapman, 和Hoosick Falls高中的Jack Cavanaugh.

独特的大学预科体验

Hoosick Falls是一个小镇，在那里机会似乎很遥远, 对其中一些学生来说, 这是他们第一次长时间离开家.

“Pre-college was a trip! I thought it was going to be the longest two weeks of my life and I wish it was longer,” said Sophia Gorman, Hoosick Falls的学生 creative writing course 在bet亚洲365欢迎投注大学预科期间. “I had so much fun. I feel the experience at Marist helped me focus this year and gave me something to drive for towards the end of the school year.”

Jack Cavanaugh (far right) learns about the high-tech mannequins in the Simulation Lab during a Pre-Health class at Summer Pre-College.

“Being away from home, it wasn’t easy at first but I feel like it really prepared me to be more confident for my freshman year at college,” Jack Cavanaugh, Hoosick Falls的学生 pre-health course 在bet亚洲365欢迎投注大学预科期间. “对于那些考虑上大学预科的人，我肯定会说去. It was a great opportunity to experience something a lot of kids don’t get to experience.”

“我上的课很有挑战性，但我学到了很多. 我喜欢它让我进入了医学领域,” Sade Fitz, Hoosick Falls student who also took a pre-health course 在bet亚洲365欢迎投注大学预科期间. “There were people from different medical fields that came in so you were exposed to a lot. I’m now considering more of a physician’s assistant track as opposed to nursing.”

Sade Fitz (second from right) learns about athletic emergency health procedures during a Pre-Health class at Summer Pre-College.

“I got to see what colleges are really like and it made me think about a lot of things I didn’t even consider before,” said Keira Chapman, Hoosick Falls的学生 game design course 在bet亚洲365欢迎投注大学预科期间. “I really liked being able to get away from everything for a while and I enjoyed seeing new things and meeting new people. 它让我走出了自己的舒适区. 我当时超级紧张，但很值得.

Continuing Support

The support continues for these four Hoosick Falls students through Liporace’s foundation. 他们在进入大学时也会接受大学求职指导, 第一年是否也会提供免费辅导. It was an idea that would further level the playing field for first-generation students, 确保他们得到学业上的支持.

John Liporace访问Hoosick Falls高中的学生. 

一个将会发展的试点项目

这是Liporace的试点奖学金项目. While he plans to continue to make it possible for a handful of Hoosick Falls students to attend Marist Pre-College each year, he is also planning to expand his program to include other deserving high school students from around the northeast.

“I am building a network of public college prep schools that are in underserved communities where we know there’s a high population of first-generation students and we’re going to work with those schools to find those first-gen students that fit our qualifications. I was thinking about what types of support that first-generation students could use and I think that a pre-college program is built for (it), because they typically don’t have parents at home that can tell them about the college experience.”

For Liporace, breaking the cycle for those with financial need and providing opportunities for first-generation college students has become a lifelong mission. 反思自己的大学经历, Liporace says Marist has been instrumental in shaping his values and his commitment to giving back.

“Marist played an important role as well in helping me appreciate the value of a college education, 这是我父母所没有的,” said Liporace. “I think about the Marist Brothers and that they were founded with the goal to help educate young people, especially the ones who were less fortunate so this feels very much in the spirit of Marist.”

As for the students, they are filled with both gratitude and excitement about what lies ahead.

“我非常感谢这次机会，”凯拉·查普曼补充道. “我家里没有多少闲钱, 所以我不可能做这样的事情.”

(从左到右)杰克·卡瓦诺, Sophia Gorman, John Liporace, Sade Fitz, 和凯拉·查普曼在Hoosick Falls高中前合影.

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Marist's summer pre-college program offers students a glimpse into college life, 一个探索不同大学专业的机会, 还有在高中就获得大学学分的机会. 了解有关该计划的更多信息 here.