Ramapo Magazine

Student Scholars: Motivated and Appreciative

Yanivis Fragozo
Yanivis Fragozo is the recipient of an Alumni Association Endowed Scholarship. Created with gifts from former Ramapo students, every year a freshman in each of Ramapo’s five schools is awarded an Alumni Scholarship. “Without it,” Fragozo says, “ I would have had to go to school part-time and take out loans.” The sophomore plans to major in American and International Studies. Ramapo was Fragozo’s first choice of college. She participated in Immediate Decision Day and, she says, “Once I knew I had been accepted, I didn’t apply anywhere else.” As a freshman she participated in a service learning project sponsored by the Cahill Center and worked on the campaign to elect Congressman William Pascrell, Jr. Fragozo aspires to attend law school, a career choice influenced by her father. “Before my father came to this country from Columbia, he studied law, but he didn’t finish.” She is interested in business law and is employed by a lawyer. Fragozo adds, “I want to give back to Ramapo for helping me.”

Photo: John Lynch John Lynch
John Lynch spent three years in India and for more than two volunteered at the Home for the Destitute and Dying in Calcutta. He earned a degree in philosophy and art history from Rutgers University and, after his experiences in India, decided to pursue a nursing degree. He chose Ramapo because those who hold a four-year degree may complete the requirements of another in two years. He is the recipient of the Edward and Stella Van Houten Memorial Scholarship administered by First Union Charitable Trust Group, which recognizes students in the College’s nursing program. Scholarship recipients are committed to the practice of nursing, especially geriatrics, pediatrics, or care of the disabled. “If I had to work, I couldn’t maintain a 4.0 GPA and I wouldn’t get as much from the program,” he says. “Nursing is more than treating wounds or diseases. It provides an opportunity to help comfort and care for people when they most need it.” After earning a B.S.N., Lynch hopes to pursue an advanced degree in nursing.

Photo of Tacquice Wiggan Tacquice Wiggan
At Clara Barton High School in the Bronx, New York, Tacquice Wiggan participated in a program called Global Kids, which educates youth on world issues. There, she learned of Ramapo College. Wiggan visited the campus and applied for admission. She was offered a BD (formerly Becton Dickinson) scholarship, which awards recipients full tuition scholarships. The BD Scholars program ensures that high-achieving minority students from underserved areas can achieve a college education at Ramapo. “Ramapo offered me a full scholarship,” Wiggan notes. “Other colleges I applied to offered partial scholarships. I felt comfortable in the environment; it was very welcoming.” The sophomore has declared psychology as her major and maintains a 3.5 GPA. She chose psychology to satisfy her fascination with the way in which people interact. She is a resident assistant, a student ambassador, a recruiter for the student council, and active in Ebony Women for Social Change. Combining knowledge gained from her major and her minor, Women’s Studies, Wiggan plans to attend graduate school to explore the way in which people, particularly in the eighteen to thirty age group, interact with each other.