January 2023 - Johnson Scholarship Foundation

The following article first appeared in Florida International University’s newsletter, and it is shared here with permission.

Many students face daunting challenges when they enter college: academic difficulties, financial problems, and major and career choices, just to name a few. Some students face additional challenges that require customized learning services and individualized attention. The Disability Resource Center (DRC) at FIU helps ensure that students with special needs have access to needed guidance and services to help them succeed.

The DRC serves more than 3,600 FIU students and strives to promote their success by working in collaboration with community stakeholders, students, faculty, staff, and administrators to foster diverse learning environments that are accessible, usable, inclusive, and sustainable. Private philanthropy is essential for the DRC to provide these services, and the Johnson Scholarship Foundation is among the key organizations whose support has helped the center expand its services and reach more students across campus.

“Our partnership with FIU is a testament to the achievements that students with disabilities can attain when they have the resources they need,” said Robert A. Krause, CEO of the Johnson Scholarship Foundation. “FIU is among the institutions leading the way to ensure accessibility.”

The Johnson Scholarship Foundation’s support of nearly $2.2 million to FIU over the past decade has funded nearly 1,200 scholarships to 650 students. The Foundation also funds scholarships to students with disabilities at all the other universities in the State University System of Florida. According to DRC Director Amanda Niguidula, “the Johnson Scholarship Foundation has opened countless doors for our hard-working students associated with the DRC.”

Christy England, vice chancellor for academic and student affairs for the State University System of Florida, added: “The State University System of Florida is passionate about student success. We are grateful for the community support our institutions receive, which betters outcomes and enables longer-lasting impacts for our students.”

Analia Camarda

Marc Buoniconti, a well-known community leader and philanthropist who has had a national impact on disability awareness, recently created a new endowment to assist students. This endowment will enable eligible FIU learners to graduate on time and enter their profession of choice. Buoniconti, the founder of the Christine E. Lynn Rehabilitation Center, is a national leader in fostering support to cure paralysis. “My passion is to give hope to countless students who have the will and drive to succeed but lack the financial resources to cover their costs,” he said.

FIU junior cybersecurity major Analia Camarda, who is deaf, is just one of many students benefitting from Johnson Scholarship Foundation support, which helped bridge a financial gap she experienced. Camarda was able to surmount the special learning obstacles presented during the COVID-19 pandemic and to keep pace with classwork using sign language interpreters, live captioning computer apps, and the assistance of professional note-takers.

With a passion for networking with her peers and having participated in multiple tech-based internships – including at Microsoft and Sentinel One – Camarda is well on her way to achieving her dream of working for a major tech firm. She is also actively involved on campus, participating in student organizations such as Women in Cybersecurity and Upsilon Pi Epsilon, and she is an inductee of multiple honor societies.

Roger Bendana

Junior Roger Bendana credits a Johnson Scholarship with helping him concentrate on his studies and to pursue his passion for working with animals by participating in the summer biology program at Zoo Miami.

“The scholarship really helped me to just stay focused on school and not have to worry about work,” Bendana noted.

He said the DRC has been a great support system that connected him to support networks across campus, such as the Peer Mentorship Program – which he found so valuable that he intends to become a peer mentor himself now that he is an upperclassman.

“Generous donors like the Johnson Foundation and Marc Buoniconti provide the critical resources to ensure that every FIU student can attain success,” Niguidula said. “We are thankful for their support to our students and the DRC, which will enable them to have better and more meaningful lives as a result.”

Todd Ellenberg is Director of Campaign Communication for the Florida International University Foundation.

I met Neiry nearly six years ago at the orientation for Take Stock In Children. She was there with her mom. I told them both right from the beginning, I plan to be with you all four years of high school, unless something takes me away from mentoring. They both looked at me and smiled.

Neiry was very shy, but over time, we built an incredible relationship and understanding of each other. We both looked forward to seeing each other every week during the school year, and over the summer we kept in touch via text. Neiry had a few challenges over the course of the four years of high school, but she found her way with the help and guidance of TSIC. We talked about ways to overcome what she was facing. We talked about goal setting and communication. By “we” I mean me and the team at Take Stock – we were all involved in Neiry’s success – it takes a village!

Neiry and Mentor Danielle Basinski

One day we met up during her senior year and she looked nervous. I asked her what was going on. She said, “I have been talking to an Army recruiter, and I think I am going to join the Army.” I was in shock, but I remained supportive throughout our conversation. For years we discussed her getting a college degree in engineering, so I was completely taken aback when she said she wanted to join the Army.

Next, she needed to tell her parents. We talked it through and how to communicate this to them. After she had the conversation with her mom and dad, her mom called me, and we talked it through. They both asked me to come to the recruiting office with them to meet with the recruiter, and I did. What an honor it was to be asked to go with them and ask questions on their behalf to make sure she was making the right decision.

We still message quite frequently, and I am so proud of her. She has been in the Army now for two years, is currently enrolled in college classes and is getting ready to be deployed to Poland for a period of time.

Mentoring with Take Stock in Children has been one of the greatest highlights of my life in volunteering and I feel so fortunate to be a part of such an incredible organization.

Mentoring is a key component of the success of every participant in the Take Stock in Children Palm Beach County Program, a grantee partner of Johnson Scholarship Foundation. Each year more than 350 mentors participate in the program. If you would like to contribute as a mentor, please contact Kimberly Briard at KBriard@takestockpalmbeach.org.

Danielle Baskinski is a mentor with the Take Stock in Children program.

Philanthropy Lifts the Disability Resource Center and Students it Serves

Mentoring Through the Important Conversations