Assemblywoman Michele R. Titus, chairwoman of the New York State Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators (NYSA- BPRL), presented a $1,000 NYSA- BPRL College Scholarship to 20- year-old Brooklyn College student, Ahdara Yahsharalaisrael in her Mott Avenue office, on Friday, March 3.

The NYSABPRL College Scholar- ship Program is funded by the annual gala dinner held during the Legislative Conference, a weekend of workshops and events targeted to New York State’s communities of color.

The desire to earn a degree, along with merit and financial need, are the criteria for eligibility for a student to be awarded a NYSA- BPRL College Scholarship.

“I have watched Ahdara grow up. She has had an outstanding educational career. I’m very proud of her many accomplishments” said Titus.

Yahsharalaisrael works as a page in the Central Library, as a paraprofessional in the Learners and Leaders program, started a mentorship program called Aspire to Inspire at Far Rockaway High School and Franklin K. Lane High School in Brooklyn and is a budding entrepreneur with a line of politically correct, casual clothing.

“It is a nice line of clothing. People will want to wear it. Not my age, but younger people” Titus said.

“I work with the high-risk kids who have no thoughts of going to college until I start to work with them, Yahsharalaisrael said. “They live in a whole different bubble. One hour during lunch, two to three times a week, I help them write their entrance essays and prepare their portfolios. There is a big sister, big brother feel. My goal is to empower them to dream big.”

Yahsharalaisrael is paying it forward.

If you are a student from an economically disadvantaged or low/moderate income family and have been accepted and are enrolled in college with a B or above grade point average, or are the parent or guardian of such a student, you can apply for the NYSABPRL College Scholarship Program at Assemblywoman Michele R. Titus’s District Office, 19-31 Mott Ave., Room 301, Far Rockaway, 718-327-1845 or titusm@nyassembly.gov.