"Being rewarded a Helena Rubinstein scholarship is a true gift that I will benefit from greatly. Having been laid off from a job in the Fashion Industry, I made a courageous decision to begin a new career path. Already having a Fashion degree behind me and several years of experience in the fashion industry, I am ready for a more rewarding and satisfying career. So not only does this scholarship help me financially, but more importantly I will be able to earn my paralegal certificate and achieve my goal of becoming a paralegal. The staff in the Continuing Education Department has gone above and beyond in their help and assistance from the moment I first walked in to learn about the program. Had they not informed me of this opportunity in helping me achieve my goal, then I would not have known about it. The staff has truly cared and their kindness and sincerity has not gone unnoticed".

"I am deeply grateful to you and your staff for the support, help and guidance that I received from all of you when I decided to apply for the Helena Rubinstein Foundation Scholarship. Everyone helped in such a way, that I want to share my joy with the entire staff of Continuing Ed. I am sure that without your cooperation the results would have been much different. I remember to be surprised to find such, "cool", people on such a hot summer day. When I went to Mr. Gallardo's office on August 21st, I thought he was simply going to sign a form which I would have to mail along with my application to CUNY. As soon as he heard me say that it was my application for the scholarship, he immediately got out of his chair and went to the secretary. He asked her to redo the forms, by hand, and send them ASAP. All I had to do was to sign the forms, and they took care of the rest. The next thing I knew, I received an e-mail from CUNY on September 12th. "I am pleased to inform you that the review committee has chosen to award you a scholarship in the amount of..." I am still shaken. It was such a surprise that there are no words to express the intensity of my feelings, and also the great relief of knowing that I can go ahead with my studies. This scholarship will allow me to continue on my quest of obtaining the Certificate as Translator and Interpreter. Mil gracias a Dios, al universo y a todos los demás participantes en este grato acontecimiento. Espero verlos a todos el día de mi graduación".

I had the pleasure to take a memoir writing class with Sidney Offit. The benefit of the class was profound. His clarity of instruction, teaching style, technique, and humor gave me precisely the direction I needed to write my memoir. He encouraged his students and gave us the confidence we needed to overcome the reluctance many of us have, to express our life stories. As a result, I was able to get my memoir published by Arcade Publishing, which has been well received and well reviewed. I owe that to Mr. Offit.