Awards

The 2026 MHRC scholarship recipient is Nicole Rojas, a Marist student with big goals and even bigger motivation! Nicole shared her struggles as a student and how she realized early on how important one teacher and unending support from her parents were to create a path for her future success. As a native Spanish speaker, she faced challenges on her journey but she never stopped believing that she would ‘make it’. Her hurdles fueled her desire to be a teacher and she knew she could and would make a difference to her future students. Nicole is pursuing that dream at Marist in the 5 year program for a Master’s in the Arts of Teaching Adolescent and Special Education along with her Bachelor’s in Spanish. While working towards this degree, she also currently works at Union Vale Middle School, supporting students, who like her former self, might be facing challenges at school.