Five Hunter College undergraduates claimed half of the 10 awards granted this year by the Belle Zeller Scholarship Trust Fund, the fund announced.
“This is an outstanding achievement and a reflection of the talent, dedication, and promise of your student community,” wrote fund chair Jewel Escobar.
The Belle Zeller Undergraduate Scholarship was established in 1979 to honor the late Belle Zeller, founding president of CUNY’s Professional Staff Congress and professor emerita of political science at Brooklyn College, where she taught for more than 40 years. Like labor leaders Albert Shanker of the United Federation of Teachers and David Dubinsky of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union, Zeller was a crusading 20th century trade unionist whose achievements for workers still reverberate.
The scholarship recognizes students who have distinguished themselves through social commitment, as demonstrated through community or public service, and academic achievement.
This year’s Belle Zeller Scholars are:
Solange Arias ’26
Born in the United States, Arias grew up in Ecuador, where she saw how communities shaped physical and mental health but also how limited healthcare and culture can influence which treatments people trust. She studies clinical psychology, with research interests in psychosis, PTSD, substance-use disorders, and emerging treatments such as psychedelic-assisted therapy and harm reduction. Her honors thesis and work in the lab of Professor Julia Lechuga examines immigrant health in relation to substance use, infectious diseases, and access to care. She volunteers at Mount Sinai, where she works with elderly patients. She hopes to earn a clinical psychology PhD and to work in settings where personal experience, neuroscience, and interdisciplinary approaches are brought to bear on treating disorders.
Martina Dimitrova ’27
Originally from Bulgaria, Dimitrova moved to New York City at age eight and speaks Bulgarian, English, and Italian. She majors in English with a minor in Italian. She grew up around theatre and dance, training and volunteering at the Paul Taylor School, where she helps with children’s dance classes and publicity efforts. She also volunteers with Waggytail dog and cat rescue, photographing animals in need of homes, and at local soup kitchens such as the Church of the Holy Apostles. She plans further literature and humanities studies with an eye toward using her background to help impoverished communities, especially young children, with self-expression and critical thinking.
Sofia Elberhoumi ’26
Elberhoumi is from Brooklyn, with Moroccan roots, and speaks English and Darija (Moroccan Arabic). She is majoring in biochemistry on the pre-med track, to understand how the human body works molecularly. She volunteers at NYU Langone Hospital, where she was born. “It’s special to give back to the place that welcomed me into the world,” she said. After college, she plans to gain more healthcare experience through research, shadowing physicians, and working as a phlebotomist as she prepares to apply to medical school.
Maryam Ibrahim ’26
Ibrahim, a biological sciences major and Arabic minor, is an American-born child of an Egyptian family. Growing up between two cultures gave her an appreciation of people, their stories, and the things that shape them. She speaks English and Arabic, the study of which reconnects her with her roots and enables her to serve diverse communities. As a child, she diagnosed diabetes in her pet hamster, kindling a lifelong fascination with the workings of life and the human body. Working now as a medical assistant at Elmhurst Medical Care, she plans to become a physician. “I see the everyday side of healthcare: the long hours, the small victories, and the quiet moments that remind me why I want to become a doctor,” she said. She also volunteers in the pediatric emergency room at Mount Sinai Medical Center, assisting with patient engagement and learning firsthand the importance of empathy in medicine. She’s also involved in Teen UGC, Charity Week, and MIST NY, community-based youth organizations.
Carlotta Sironi ’26
Born and raised in Italy, Sirioni moved to New York in the early 2000s to pursue a career in fashion. After more than 20 years in the industry, a pandemic layoff prompted her to return to school. She chose social work to better understand how the environment influences individual behavior and outcomes, how systems and policies affect access to resources and opportunities, and how to support those affected by social inequities. She plans to earn a master’s degree in social work and become a licensed social worker. She interns at the Carter Burden Network, a nonprofit serving adults 60 and over, and volunteers at the Hanson Place Community Services food pantry. “I have had the privilege of working closely with older adults from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds,” she said. These experiences, which also use her Spanish, French, and Italian language skills, have strengthened her commitment to supporting the needs of older adults.
