The Amy Watkins Scholarship |
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What is the Amy Watkins Scholarship?
The Amy Watkins Scholarship has been established by fellow students at the Hunter College School of Social Work as a tribute to Amy’s life and to the ideas she dedicated herself to as a social worker.
The Amy Watkins Scholarship provides need-based scholarships to future community organizers in their pursuit of social justice and a Master’s Degree in Social Work at Hunter College.
Who is Amy Watkins?
Amy had a loving and generous spirit, and a beautiful smile. She was an exceptionally committed student at the Hunter College School of Social Work, who dedicated her life to social justice and building community. Just a few months before graduating, Amy was brutally murdered on her Brooklyn street as she made her way home from the subway. It was 9:45pm on March 8, 1999.
Amy was passionate about galvanizing communities to combat the broader social ills of poverty, violence, discrimination and deteriorating communities. Amy worked with battered women and people living with mental challenges. She was also a talented artist. It was Amy’s desire to use art as a social medium to foster relationships among people, giving them a sense of hope and a feeling of belonging.
The tragic loss
of Amy Watkins has been felt deeply by her family and by her far-reaching
community of friends, students, teachers and countless others who were
touched by her inspiring life.
What Makes Hunter College School
of Social Work Unique?
The Hunter College School of Social Work is the only publicly sponsored
school of social work in the City of New York. The school is also one
of the most selective in the United States. HCSSW is ranked as one of
the nation’s top schools of social work.
Nowhere else in the United States do great resources, stimulating cultural and educational opportunities stand side by side with every social problem, every modern issue in both human and community development and every demand emanating from big-city conditions. The School recognizes its responsibility to serve the urban community of New York City.
The School graduates
social workers who take their responsibility for the common good seriously,
who respect the dignity of people in need, and who seek to humanize the
help-seeking process. A Hunter education prepares social workers to meet
present and future challenges creatively while promoting human rights
and social justice.
How to Apply
Applicants must:
• Be accepted into the Community Organization and Planning method
at the HCSSW
• Demonstrate financial need.
• Show a commitment to issues of social justice and social change.
Application Procedure:
• Essay– In no more than 500 words, please address your commitment
to issues of social justice and community organizing as reflected in your
life history and work or volunteer experiences. Discuss your vision and
goals in this capacity. Note any life challenges or struggles that have
influenced your commitment to these issues.
• Professional and Volunteer History– List all relevant experiences.
• References– Include two letters of reference. One from a
supervisor in a professional or volunteer setting. Letters should emphasize
your commitment to community organizing, social justice and social change.
Be sure to include a copy of your tuition waiver application with your
application for a scholarship from the Amy Watkins Fund.
• Tuition Waiver– Complete and return the tuition waiver application.
Download at www.hunter.cuny.edu/socwork/admissions/tw.pdf
• Cover Page– Create a cover page including your name, mailing
address, contact numbers, e-mail (if applicable), social security number,
names and titles of references.
Final candidates may be contacted for an interview at a later date.
Applications must
be received by July 15, 2008.
Deb Bernardino
210 West Pine Street
Long Beach, NY 11561
If you have questions, please contact Mary McGilvray in the Scholarship
Office at (212) 452-7099.