Scholarship Recipients

2017 Scholarship Recipient Spotlight

Dario Almonte - Ramapo High School

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Hello Everyone! My name is Dario Almonte, and I recently graduated from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach Florida on May 4, 2020.  Since second grade, I’ve known I wanted to be an airline pilot. I wanted to find the best school to provide quality training and a bachelor's degree. I found this at Embry Riddle and was able to graduate with a degree in Aeronautical Science with an Applied Meteorology Minor. I graduated with honors and a 3.89 GPA. Some of my major accomplishments at school include becoming a commercial pilot at 18 years old, getting my first professional flying job at 19, and accumulating over 750 hours of flight time in under 3 years time. 

When I was a student at Ramapo High School, I was actively involved in extracurricular activities that included both the academic side of the spectrum and sports as well. I was president of National Honor Society, a tutor, a science olympiad member, a member of the academic league, a key club member, a local volunteer at the Greenwood Lake Airport in West Milford NJ, and I had my own production company. Throughout my 4 years of high school, I contributed over 200 hours of service with the various clubs I was a part of. Being involved in the basketball team and baseball team during my high school years was also significant and contributed to my overall academic and personal success. Babak was a leader involved in school, sports and the community. For these reasons, I believe I was awarded the Babak Najafi Scholarship in 2017. 

In college, I stayed healthy by consistently being involved in intramural sports. As a member of Phi Gamma Delta, I played 7-7 football, basketball, and softball through the fraternity league yearly. Although I was not on the school team, like in my high-school years, I continued to participate in sports. 

I graduated with three full-time job offers and was going to begin my Airline Pilot career at Republic Airways in August 2020. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, my job offers are frozen due to the uncertainty of the airline industry right now, but I am glad to be flying everyday as a flight instructor at Phoenix East Aviation in Daytona Beach Florida where I get to share my passion for aviation and teach students how to fly. I thank my support system at Ramapo High School for developing me into the man I am today. My positive experiences and remarkable teachers have created a strong structure in my life that I continue to depend on through all my endeavors. 

I am extremely thankful for the Babak Najafi Memorial Scholarship fund for believing in me and helping fund my college career. I appreciate the mentorship, the yearly events, and updates on past alumni. I am forever grateful to be a part of this family and looking forward to staying actively involved with future recipients. Thank you!

2016 Scholarship Recipient Spotlight

Ellen S. Cola - Ramapo High School

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Hi everyone! My name is Ellen S. Cola and I am a recent graduate of Brown University. Going into college, I thought I was going to study English, because I always loved writing, and History because I always had a passion for understanding the past in order to appreciate the present and transform the future. I did not end up studying either major; rather, I currently hold a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, Public Policy, and Africana Studies. As a triple major, I found that these three disciplines intersected in a way that allowed for me to ask critical questions about the world around us and actively think about social change and innovation. I completed 2 capstones and graduated with a 3.92 GPA.

When I was a student at Ramapo High School, I founded the Light of Change organization which offered tutoring to students at Pomona Middle School. As I have always been passionate about increasing minority students’ educational attainment and opportunities, I saw this organization as a great way to do that in my very own community. I believe that is why I was awarded the Babak Najafi Scholarship in 2016. Babak was a leader in his community, too. He was President of the Student Advisory Council (SAC) at Ramapo and wanted to drive change in this world after earning a Psychology degree from Syracuse University. During my time at Brown, and every day after, I strive to honor his legacy.

At Brown, I did not play any sports but I was known as the “Double Dutch girl” by many of my peers. On sunny days during the semester, I jumped rope on the Main Green with my friends and/or strangers just walking by. I loved staying active and fit this way. Aside from exercising and jumping rope, I have followed a vegetarian diet for almost 8 years, and this also keeps me in shape and healthy.

In August 2020, I will begin my professional career at Microsoft Corporation where I will be an Associate Product Marketing Manager. I will be moving from Spring Valley, NY to Seattle, Washington. After two years, I plan to go to law school. I decided to take two years off before going to law school to study for the LSAT and take a break from all-nighters. I chose to go into marketing because this field will allow me to understand the art of persuasion, communication, storytelling, decision making, and human logic. Understanding all of these will be incredibly useful to me as an attorney.

I am incredibly thankful to the Babak Najafi Memorial Scholarship Fund for helping me fund my college career. This Fund is more than just providing financial support to deserving students, however. I have gained a family through this scholarship and I am forever indebted.