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Rhode Island College Graduate Student Named 2018 Schwarzman Scholar and 2019 Gates Cambridge Scholar
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Seth Kolker, who will be graduating with an individualized M.Ed. in secondary education from Rhode Island College in May, has been awarded two of the most prestigious, highly competitive international scholarships available: the Schwarzman Scholarship and the Gates Cambridge Scholarship. He is the first student in RIC history to receive these awards.
“Seth is a shining example of the tenacious spirit and extraordinary talent I see in so many of our students at Rhode Island College, and he is certainly deserving of these prestigious awards,” said RIC President Frank D. Sánchez. “His thought leadership, global perspective and cultural activism will surely make important differences in public policy and in education for the foreseeable future.”
As a Schwarzman Scholar, Kolker will begin a fully funded, one-year M.A. degree program in global affairs, with a concentration in public policy, at Schwarzman College in Beijing in August. And in the fall of 2019 Kolker will begin a fully funded, two-year M.Phil. degree program in education at the University of Cambridge in England.
Kolker graduated summa cum laude from Yale University with a B.A. in ethics, politics and economics in 2014. He worked for a social enterprise in Port-au-Prince, a waste pickers’ union in Delhi and a think tank in Washington before joining Teach for America (TFA) in 2015.
TFA’s mission is to end educational inequity. One of the ways they go about doing this is by filling teaching positions at low-income schools that might not be filled otherwise. A native of Arlington, Virginia, Kolker chose Central Falls High School in Rhode Island to get his feet wet as a first-time educator. TFA emphasizes the exploration of systemic issues in education and bringing social justice perspectives to teaching. TFA corps members commit to teaching for two years and earn a teaching certificate at the end of the first year. While taking teaching certification courses in the evening, taught by RIC professors, Kolker not only earned his teaching certification, he went on to earn an M.Ed. at RIC.
Kolker described the TFA experience as “utterly transformative.” Fluent in Spanish, Kolker’s first year as a Central Falls High School math teacher consisted of teaching only special education classes.
The 25-year-old stated, “It was both the most challenging thing I’d ever taken on and it’s an experience that taught me the most. it challenged a lot of assumptions I had about what kinds of systemic changes are needed. I’ve learned to be a pretty competent math teacher, but more than that, I’ve been very inspired by a lot of the students and the families that I work with.”
“In my first year, I had students who worked two jobs, slept three hours and arrived at school early every day,” he said. “I’d get emails from students when there was a snow storm, saying, ‘Mr. Kolker, I got the text message and the phone call from the school district that school is canceled today but I walked to school just to be sure I wasn’t going to miss school, and I’m emailing you at the front door just to triple check if school is actually closed.’”
“The same students came in the day after the presidential election, asking questions like, “Am I going to be deported? Are my parents going to be deported? Are Latinos going to be allowed to go to high school in America anymore?’ They were really terrified and confused and angry,” Kolker said.
To give young people in Central Falls a public voice, Kolker decided to organize a youth trip to the 2017 Women’s March on Washington and to galvanize the Central Falls community to help fund the trip.
“I basically started sharing the stories of these students,” he said, “and the money poured in. The Providence Journal caught wind of the project and interviewed a few of the students and more money started flowing in. Ultimately we raised $10,000, not to mention about $40,000 of in-kind donations.”
Forty-two students from Central Falls and four other high schools along with six adults headed for Arlington, Virginia, Kolker’s hometown, where they were met with camera crews and a ceremonial dinner by the Arlington community. At the dinner, the student speeches were met with standing ovations. The following day, they joined the march on Washington.
“I came back exhausted but also changed,” said Kolker.
The young teacher co-founded an after-school course on human rights and created a course titled “How to Change the World.” As he embarks on new challenges abroad, Kolker said he feels sadness in leaving his students yet looks forward to developing research on education and public policy from a global perspective and in an environment of intellectual engagement, professional development and cultural exchange.
As a 2018 Schwarzman Scholar, Kolker will spend a year immersed in an international community of thinkers, innovators and senior leaders in business, politics and society. All Schwarzman Scholars pursue a master’s in global affairs, with concentrations in either public policy, business and economics or international studies. The goal is to learn from one another while building their individual leadership capacities.
As a 2019 Gates Cambridge Scholar, Kolker will focus on comparing educational programs around the world – what our educational system is doing well, what could be done better and what changes are needed. He will also research ways to prepare young people to become citizens – participants in their democracy – and to feel a sense of belonging to a larger community.
About the Gates Cambridge Scholarship
Established in 2000 with a $210 million endowment from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Gates Cambridge Scholarship was created to enable outstanding graduate students from outside the United Kingdom to pursue full-time graduate studies in any subject at the University Cambridge. Out of nearly 800 applicants from across the country, 35 were ultimately chosen this year. The program aims to build a global network of future leaders committed to improving the lives of others.
About the Schwarzman Scholarship
Established in 2016 with a $100 million endowment by Chairman, CEO and Co-founder of Blackstone Stephen Schwarzman, the Schwarzman Scholars program is built on the belief that whether in politics, business or science, the success of future leaders around the world will depend upon an understanding of China’s role in global trends. The program gives the world’s best and brightest students the opportunity to develop their leadership skills and professional networks. The 2018 class consists of 142 students from 39 countries.
About Rhode Island College
Established in 1854, Rhode Island College serves approximately 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students through its five schools: the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development, the School of Business, the School of Nursing and the School of Social Work. For more information, visit www.ric.edu.
Business Management Students and Faculty Advisor at New England Institute of Technology Win National Competition
East Greenwich, RI – Dr. Douglas H. Sherman, Senior Vice President and Provost, at New England Institute of Technology (NEIT) announced that five students from the university’s Business Management program, as well as their faculty advisor, swept several top awards at this year’s International Business Conference Management Case Competition organized by the Society for Advancement of Management (SAM). The 34th annual conference was held on March 22-24, 2018, in Arlington, Virginia. SAM is the world’s oldest management society dating back to 1911 and provides faculty, students and practitioners from a variety of disciplines the opportunity to share management expertise.
With guidance and leadership from Henry “Hank” Johnson, Assistant Professor in NEIT’s Business Management program, the NEIT Chapter of SAM was established in 2017. The students who participated in the national competition provided a case analysis curated by the Society through a partnership with Ryder Logistics, a premier provider of transportation services. The students had three months to develop an integrative solution for the organizational challenges Ryder faced. A panel of industry experts judged the presentations submitted by numerous colleges and universities. Congratulations to Eric Osial of Portsmouth, RI; Brittany Frey of Warwick, RI; Mieanel Louis of Warwick, RI; Megan Silva of Chepachet, RI and Erika Sinesi of North Smithfield, RI who were named the 1st Place International Champions in the undergraduate division.
“This annual competition was an overwhelmingly positive experience for our competitors and our case subject, Ryder Logistics. The innovative ideas brought forward by our award-winning teams like New England Institute of Technology were an outstanding application of academic theory to a real-world problem in delivering a practical implementable solution. The Society is delighted with the results of the competition,” stated Patrick Endicott, SAM’s Media Coordinator.
Not only were NEIT’s students recognized for their knowledge and strong management skills, Assistant Professor Hank Johnson of Warwick, RI, won SAM’s 2018 Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award. He was recognized for his commitment to management excellence, his mentoring of the students, the development of NEIT’s chapter members and his serving as an advocate for the importance of giving back to the community.
In addition to these two prestigious awards, the NEIT Chapter of SAM earned 2nd Place in the Chapter Performance Award in the medium-size chapter division. Also, Eric Osial, Erika Sinesi and Mieanel Louis received the SAM Regional Outstanding Student Award which recognizes the hard work, growth and development of members over the course of the year.
Assistant Professor Johnson and student Sarrah Berkery presented their research paper “Faculty Development at a Small New England College – A Managerial Perspective”. Berkery stated, “To have our research paper accepted and then present it to experts from across the country was an unforgettable experience. I am not sure if I would have this same opportunity at another university.”
Johnson stated, “I believe our students won this competition because of New England Tech’s hands-on approach to learning. Our students demonstrated that they could take the correct theory, apply it and develop a realistic implementation plan and timetable. This wasn’t something theoretical. I expect that Ryder will actually implement what our students designed because it is a realistic and cost-effective solution to the challenges they face as an organization.”
“To win 1st Place in the case competition, 2nd Place in the Chapter Performance competition as well as the Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award demonstrates the high caliber of our students, faculty and Business Management program,” stated Dr. Sherman. “The NEIT community is proud of Assistant Professor Johnson and these outstanding students for representing our university so well at this prestigious competition.”
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Under the leadership of President Richard I. Gouse, New England Institute of Technology is a private, non-profit, technical university with an enrollment of nearly 3,000 students and is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. Founded in 1940, New England Tech offers more than 55 associate, bachelor’s, master’s and online technical and professional degree programs. Please visit www.neit.edu and follow NEIT on Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, Instagram, LinkedIn, and the New England Tech blog.
Interior Design Student from New England Institute of Technology Wins Prestigious Award at Regional Competition
East Greenwich, RI – Dr. Douglas H. Sherman, Senior Vice President and Provost at New England Institute of Technology (NEIT) announced that Bachelor of Science Interior Design student Amira Mohamed of Barrington, RI, earned 1st Place at the New England Chapter of the International Interior Design Association’s (IIDA) 2018 Design Awards. The Association held its 11th annual competition on March 14th at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel where top design firms and students were recognized for their creativity.
As part of this competition, college and university students from throughout New England showcased their interior design projects. All aspects of the real estate, design, construction and engineering industries were evaluated. The jury selected five student winners that were announced at the event. Fellow classmate, Stephanie McShane of Pawtucket, RI, was named one of the top five finalists in this year’s competition. In 2017, Ms. Mohamed took second place honors. For two consecutive years, NEIT students were selected as two of the top five finalists.
Students had ten weeks to design and space plan a minimum of four levels of a multi-story building located in Detroit, Michigan. The challenge was based on an IIDA student competition from 2015 where the students were invited to conceptualize the future of an urban university mixed-use building that integrated the multiple functions associated with a higher education campus. Adaptive learning, integration of corporate and business resources, community involvement and alternative education resources had to be considered while collaboration, health and well-being and sustainability was to be evident in the final design.
Dr. Sherman stated, “The New England Tech community congratulates Amira and Stephanie for representing NEIT’s Interior Design program so well at IIDA competition. The creativity and knowledge these students demonstrated to the design community is a true testament to the quality of our Interior Design program and the expertise of our faculty. We could not be prouder of their outstanding accomplishments.”
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Under the leadership of President Richard I. Gouse, New England Institute of Technology is a private, non-profit, technical university with an enrollment of nearly 3,000 students and is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. Founded in 1940, New England Tech offers more than 55 associate, bachelor’s, master’s and online technical and professional degree programs. Please visit www.neit.edu and follow NEIT on Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, Instagram, LinkedIn, and the New England Tech blog.
BankNewport Shares Financial Expertise With Local High School Students
NEWPORT, RI (March 15, 2018 ) – BankNewport is proud to present its financial literacy program to students at four local high schools during the current school year – Coventry High School, Portsmouth High School, Rogers High School in Newport, and West Warwick High School. The program was developed to complement the personal finance instruction currently in place at the high schools.
Monthly classroom presentations are conducted by BankNewport’s management team on topics such as career exploration, savings and checking accounts, electronic banking services, establishing good credit, and monthly budgeting. The Bank’s insurance partner, OceanPoint Insurance Agency, also participates in the program, conducting classroom presentations on personal lines insurance products and investment savings. The program goal is to help students increase their financial skills and understand that managing their personal finances can pave the way for a bright economic future.
After completing the classroom curriculum, participating students from the four high schools will take part in the program’s culminating event, a Financial Education Fair. The Fair is a highly interactive simulation that places students through a realistic budgeting experience where they will interact with local businesses to make lifestyle spending decisions based on their chosen career, monthly income, and living expenses. The Fairs will be held in April.
About BankNewport
Founded in 1819 and headquartered in Newport, BankNewport offers a full suite of loan and deposit products and services for families and businesses throughout Rhode Island. In addition, OceanPoint Insurance Agency, Inc., a subsidiary of BankNewport, offers a broad range of property casualty insurance products and a full array of financial services. With 15 banking offices and $1.5 billion in assets, BankNewport is one of the oldest community banks in the United States and, as a mutual organization, is committed to the financial success of its customers, employees and communities.
