IN their
own words
Tanasia
Betts
’13
August 23, 2012 Ms. Eileen Goss Whelley c/o The Office of College Advancement SUNY Potsdam 44 Pierrepont Ave Potsdam, NY 13676 Dear Ms. Eileen Goss Whelley, Thank you so much for your generous donation that has made my scholarship possible. I am very grateful and honored to receive the Eileen Goss Whelley ’76 Scholarship for Women Leaders. Your scholarship is very important to me because it has helped me to achieve my goal of earning my degree from SUNY Potsdam. I thought you might like to know a little bit more about me. I’m from Brooklyn, NY, studying sociology along with human services, as well as women’s and gender studies and theatre. My grandmother raised me and my sister after my mom and dad died. In my short life of 20 years, I have experienced what I believe to be hopelessness and harsh realities. But I aspire to be an impactful person wherever I go. Helping others see a light in their darkest hours drives me to my profession in social work and counseling. My internship this summer was essential in deciding what direction I want to take. I learned a lot about myself and the young men I worked with at the Berkshire Farm Detention Center and Burnham Youth Safe Center. They may be troubled youth, but I never felt threatened or worried. I saw myself in them. Our stories are different, but we all need love, attention and someone to listen. Thank you again for investing in my education. I hope to meet you again at the Scholarship Luncheon on November 3, 2012, so that I can thank you in person for your generosity. Sincerely,
Tanasia Betts
Tanasia Betts is the 2013 recipient of the Chancellor ’s Excellence honoring the best and the brightest stu Award for dents throughout the entire system. On No vem the annual Scholarship Do ber 3, 2012, she joined Whelley ’76 at nors Luncheon at SUNY Potsdam.
Class of 2013
w w w.potsdam.edu/people
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