An immigrant Bensonhurst high school senior is on the road to becoming a medical professional thanks to her own hard work and a helping hand from the United Federation of Teachers (UFT).
Qihua Li, who immigrated to Brooklyn with her parents and younger sister from China in 2011, is one of 180 students citywide who will receive a $5,000 scholarship as part of the UFT’s 46th Annual Albert Shanker Scholarship Awards today.
“I see myself with a masters degree, going to medical school and then working in a hospital. I want to take care of people and help my parents, share their [financial] burden,” said Li, who is graduating from the International High School at Lafayette as one of the top five in her class.
Li’s laser-focused goal is a career in nursing to one day help the ill and assist senior citizens. The scholarship money will help as she pursues a bachelor’s degree at the College of Staten Island.
Li credits a lot of her progress to a program known as Bottom Line, situated in Downtown Brooklyn. Bottom Line, which also has a location in Massachusetts and Illinois, aims to assist low-income and first-generation-to-college students. It provides one-on-one mentors to students who guide them in setting and achieving goals, assisting with college applications and essays, and even help finding and applying for scholarships.
The most important thing Li learned to reinforce throughout her entire high school career was time management. It became a key contribution to her success; designating time to each area of her studies, community service within her school, family time and an essential part of any high school girls’ life, her friends.
Cassandra Brennan, a teacher at the International High School at Lafayette, described Li as a diligent student. Brennan recalled Li’s efforts from the very beginning, “she always worked as hard as she could to best understand the task at hand.”
The Albert Shanker Scholarship Awards is named after former UFT /AFT president Albert Shanker. Since 1969 it has provided more than $44 million to more than 8,000 outstanding New York City public high school seniors to help them attend college.
“The Shanker scholarships – which are paid out of union funds — are an extension of the work our teachers do every day to help nearly one million New York City students build a better future for themselves and their families,” said UFT President Michael Mulgrew.
