Three Lehman women who chose to take their lives in a new direction have an easier path to their graduation, thanks to a $10,000 award for each of them from the Women’s Forum of New York Education Fund.

2024 Education Fund awardees Michelle Velez, Gloria Ramos, and Evette Rodriguez entered Lehman through the Adult Degree Program (ADP), which provides support and innovative learning opportunities to students 25 years and older.

Lehman students are ideal candidates for this competitive award, and women in the ADP program, who often fit the criteria, are consistently chosen. Last year, four Lehman students received it, and the Forum has also recognized multiple students in prior years.

Evette Rodriguez, a sociology major who has worked as a principal executive associate in special education for over 30 years, returned to school because she felt she could go further.

“I realized that I had so much more in me than I had ever imagined. It has been such an amazing experience of growth, of learning to love the person I am and believing in myself when so many others doubted me,” she said. Rodriguez will graduate in May 2025 and plans to pursue a master’s degree in social work.

For Gloria Ramos, a social work major in her second year at Lehman, the scholarship “means opportunity. This award will help relieve debt both academically as well as personally so there’s no halt in my learning. I look forward to growing with my classmates and continuing to grow bonds and create new relationships with other peers I have yet to meet.” Like Rodriguez, Ramos has her eyes set on a career in clinical social work.

“Returning to college has truly changed my life,” said Michelle Velez, who is majoring in Latino studies and health. “Winning such a significant award felt amazing after being out of school for so long. This scholarship will help me tremendously as a single mom working part-time.”

“Winning the scholarship has empowered me to believe that I can achieve anything I set my mind to,” she added.

Velez will graduate in May and intends to earn a master’s degree.

The Women’s Forum of New York makes awards to women attending institutions across the City, recognizing students over the age of 35 who have overcome adversity to pursue or resume higher education and restructure their lives for success.

“I take personal joy in knowing that all three women who received the award are part of the ADP program, said Hicania Gomez-Diaz, ADP associate director.” We are a small program but play a pivotal role in addressing the diverse needs and aspirations of nontraditional students who are returning to college later in life.” 

Established over 40 years ago, the ADP enrolls as many as 1,000 students every semester who seek to make a positive change for themselves and their families. “ADP is more than an academic program,” said Gomez-Diaz. “We provide a safe space where students can talk about their past and future dreams and be part of a supportive community of peers who understand that it is okay to come back and finish what you started.”

Interested in Lehman’s Adult Degree Program? Visit the program’s webpage for more information