My name is Alexa Vander Ploeg and I will be going into my sophomore year at Pennsylvania State University as an Animal Science major. For as long as I could remember, I have always aspired to become a veterinarian. Penn State has one of the best undergraduate animal science programs available, making it my dream school.

My name is Angelica Lockhart. I am going to be a Freshman in Brookdale Community College in the Fall and then transferring to Rutgers and majoring in Psychology in hopes of one day helping people with problems relating to addiction, depression, and other psychological disorders. My career goal is to be a school guidance counselor.

Good evening, my name is Ashley McDuffie and I am what some people classify as strong woman. I’ve faced some difficult obstacles in life that I never thought I would be able to speak about today. I am 22 years old, a full-time student, and working in office part time at the Shauger Group, a construction company where I serve as an Office Assistant. My responsibilities include certificate of insurance tracking, job file maintenance and various other clerical duties. I love fashion, modeling and wardrobe.

My name is Brenda Vidals and I am 20 years old. In the fall, I will be a junior at Rutgers University in New Brunswick as a Biology major. My goal is to become a health care member to help people live better lives.

My name is Brian Crosby. I am a 2015 graduate of Brookdale Community College in Lincroft. I obtained my associates degree in business administration in a total of 4 years of attending Brookdale. During my final year I had the honor to play basketball for Coach Cisek and I can say it made my entire school career that much more memorable.

Hello, my name is Corinne Levy. I am 22 years old and I live in South Jersey with my parents and younger brother. I have been singing, dancing and acting since I was 3 years old. I love being on stage and performing. I am very fortunate to have parents who have continued to support my love for the stage and have given more than they can afford to support my goals.

Hello, my name is Diana Borja and I I am attending Union County College in the Crandford campus. This upcoming fall I will be a sophomore. The major I am studying in college is biology. It’s quite a challenge going to school full-time as well as working full-time.

Hello, my name is Gandhi Vidals-Veliz. I’m a bit timid when it comes to meeting new people or doing new things but after a while I open up. I have a huge interest with technology and science because I’m fascinated of how things work and I also have an interest in the medical field. I’m currently attending Camden County College with the Camden-Rutgers program and majoring in nursing.

The man who taught me how to walk, talk, and shaped me into who I am today, was the same man who was taken from me in the worst way possible when I was only four years old. My father was murdered in an attempted car robbery while leaving work one night. Someone who had the world at his fingertips, my dad had been ripped away from his beautiful family at home. A well-known podiatrist with an astonishing seven years post-graduate schooling whom everyone I knew looked up too. My father was well deserving of everything that he attained, considering how hard of a worker he was.

Hello, my name is James Barnett. My parents always told me the better you do in school, the better your future would be. Listening to their words, I have always worked hard at getting good grades to continue my education and go to college. I will be a sophomore at Rowan University and am majoring in Health and Physical Education with a minor in Special Education. I love working with kids that have special needs. I did it everyday at high school and with my cousin Vinny, who has Down Syndrome; he is my absolute best friend. My goal is to be a Special Education Teacher and also be a football or wrestling coach.

Hello and good day, my name is Joseph Carlo Amato. I graduated Monsignor Farrell HS, Staten Island, NY in 2015. After high school I attended Centenary University in Hackettstown, NJ for the last two years. My major was media communications and visual arts. I became involved in musical theater, not only performing in shows but being very active behind the scenes. I realized my passion and desire was to continue my education in production, music production and recording.

My name is Nicholas Garcia and I currently live in Wayne, NJ. I have just finished my second year of college, and so far I have had success. I am studying to be an accountant in hopes of one day achieving the coveted status of CPA. This is no easy task as it requires me to take an additional twenty-two credits in order to sit for the exam. This is where the Kid’s Chance Scholarship will truly make all the difference. It is necessary for me to seek extra schooling in order to meet my requirements to become a certified public accountant.

I was a daddy’s girl. I have always admired my father and wanted to be patient, intelligent, and kind, just like him. He was not only the sole provider for my family as a civil engineer, but also the primary parent of the household; my mother has been on disability since 2005 and is too sick to work. He was always present when my mother could not be; once at a large Girl Scout sleepover at the natural history museum in Philadelphia, a woman with a microphone announced, “Could the only gentleman here please leave the room so the girls can change into their pajamas?” He was a wonderful father and I miss him every day.

My name is Scott Kwiatek and I am a Senior at NJIT studying for a Bachelor of Science degree in Business. After graduation, my goal is to get a job doing accounting or marketing and work my way up to higher positions such as being a manager or a C-level Executive.

My name is Trent Schamble. and I received Associates Degree at Sussex County Community College in Fire Science Technology in 2016. I am currently furthering my education and studying for a Bachelors in Fire Science Technology at Eastern Kentucky University.

When I was younger, I was always fascinated by technology. I’d spend hours playing video games. To my parent’s dismay, I took apart the first few computers that I had received for the sole purpose of learning how they operated from the inside out. I was drawn to the computer. This simple object gave me hours of entertainment as a child, and as I got older, it became an escape from reality.