July 12, 2023
For Laisha Perez, a generous scholarship from the Siegel Family Scholarship Fund not only made her dream of a college education possible, but also gave her the opportunity to study abroad in Rome. Perez recently returned from a semester in Italy, which she described as being “filled with growth, new perspectives, learning experiences, and meeting people from around the world”. Perez graduated from Rutgers in May, with a cum laude Bachelor’s in Communication.
Perez credits the Siegel Family Scholarship for making this all possible. “My heart pours out to thank you for working with me to make this dream possible, especially as a first-generation Latina scholar,” said Perez.
She next intends to pursue a Master’s degree in Health Communication and Information, also at Rutgers University.
Perez’s story is exactly the type that Joel and Shelley Siegel sought to make possible with their fund. Working with the Community Foundation’s scholarship team, the Siegels structured their fund in such a way, “that we could see firsthand the impact we were having on young people,” explained Joel Siegel.
The Siegel Family Scholarship gives out a minimum of four scholarships per year and sticks with the selected scholars for the full four years. The scholarship places special emphasis on students recommended by nonprofit organizations that the Siegel Family has long supported.