James Patterson returned to Manhattan College for class reunion.
BEN ASEN/COURTESY
By Barbara Vasquez, Staff Writer
The James Patterson scholarship recipients have been announced for the 2024 academic year marking 12 years of the scholarship’s contributions for Manhattan College students.
Best-selling author James Patterson was a member of the Manhattan College class of 1969. Over 50 years after his graduation, he still shows support to his alma mater by offering the James Patterson ‘69 Scholarship. The scholarship is offered to 10 juniors and 10 seniors with each recipient receiving $5,000.
The scholarship is offered only to select students who have written and workshopped essays to apply for it. The essay’s prompt asks applicants about their ambitions and where they see themselves after graduation.
Daniel Angel, a senior civil engineering major, is a two time recipient of the Patterson scholarship. He shared his thoughts about the scholarship and how the prompt affected him.
“The self reflection really helped me come to an understanding of what I wanted to do,” Angel said. “When I reflected, I also looked back at how I’ve developed over time and how much I’ve grown. It was because of the sacrifices other people have made for me- my parents, my professors who have always been by my side,” Angel said.
Angel added his feelings of being chosen and the personal impact it had on him.
“It made me feel a bit more special knowing that it wasn’t just my grades, but to know that you were chosen not only because of that, but also because of who you are and what you reflected through that essay. It was all very emotional for me,” Angel said.
Lillian Alfanek, a junior chemical engineering major, was another recipient of the Patterson scholarship. She shared her personal experience with the scholarship’s essay prompt and how it touched her as well.
“I think it was a really great question to answer,” Alfanek said. “It made me sit down and think about my future, and really start planning how I want my life to look like in the next few years.”
The scholarship not only offers financial support to students but also gives many a chance to feel appreciated for their scholastic efforts.
Sage Clarke, a junior communication major, gives her insight on what the scholarship truly means to her.
“It kind of makes you feel seen. You’re doing this hard work, hoping that it’ll pay off, and with this [scholarship] I definitely feel like I accomplished something,” Clarke said.
Janita Dreher, a senior psychology major and two time recipient of the reward, shared her feelings on receiving the scholarship.
“When students like myself try and apply for scholarships, we never go in with the idea of ‘oh I know I’m going to get it,’” Dreher said. “We just try to put our best foot forward and do the best we can and be as honest as we can. And when I won this- I was being my true authentic self and that was enough. I was just so happy.”
The James Patterson ‘69 scholarship is just one of many grants offered to students based on good academic standing as well as financial need. However, even most recipients were unaware of the scholarship until offered to them directly.
This sparked a larger conversation about the scholarship opportunities MC provides and how well they are advertised to the student population. Clarke shared her thoughts on this idea.
“It would be really helpful if there was a way to more clearly know about this stuff [scholarships] without having to jump through hoops to find that information.” Clarke said.
Additionally, Dreher spoke about her desire for more scholarship opportunities in general at MC.
“I think there are a lot of opportunities, but they’re not put out there as much… though I would like to see more scholarships for people that want to go into a specific field- those ones I feel like you really have to scavenge around for,” Dreher said.
All recipients expressed gratitude for the Patterson scholarship that they received. Clarke spoke about her thoughts on Patterson after becoming a recipient.
“He was able to graduate from here, make his own career, and then give back,” Clarke said. “That’s something I definitely want to do to any kind of community I can, and something I really admire about him. I’m just thankful.”