The Carmen Pichardo Scholarship Fund

The Carmen Pichardo Scholarship is awarded to High School Equivalency (HSE)/General Educational Development (GED) or English as a Second Language (ESL) students of the Ciarco Learning Center. Qualified students pursuing ESL education are eligible for an award of up to $1600. Qualified students pursuing HSE (GED) preparation are eligible for an award of up to $900. The award is applied to tuition and book expenses for a course of study only at the Ciarco Learning Center location of Bergen Community College.

Who Was Carmen Pichardo?

Carmen Pichardo was a loving and devoted family member, a great friend and a caring citizen. As a single mother with great faith and perseverance, she overcame many obstacles in her life. The hardships she encountered and overcame served to make her more empathetic and motivated to help others in any way she could.

She believed that, "what you learn, your knowledge, is the one thing no one can ever take away from you." This is as true today as when she first said it. As an elementary school teacher, she taught English as a Second Language in the Dominican Republic, striving to engage and inspire those she taught.

Eligibility Requirements

• You must be a student of the Ciarco Learning Center in the areas of adult basic skills, HSE (GED) or English as a Second Language (ESL);*
• You must be 18 years old or over
• You must demonstrate financial need and participate in an interview with the scholarship committee.
• You must be willing and able to Pass It On

What Does It Mean to Pass It On?

As a living tribute to the spirit of Carmen Pichardo and her life, recipients of her scholarship are asked to help others in need. This can be done during or after the completion of their coursework.Some ideas for Pass It On are:

• Babysitting so that someone can go to a class
• Driving a person back and forth to school
• Dedicating yourself to a community or church/temple/mosque project
• Raising money for a favorite cause
• Meeting weekly with an ESL student to tutor English
• Serve as a speaker at special events for the benefit of Project Literacy and the Carmen Pichardo Scholarship Fund

The Carmen Pichardo Scholarship is intended for those who wish to continue a chain of support and help other people’s educational dreams come true.

How to Apply

For more information, please contact Antonio Brugnoli at Project Literacy of Bergen County at (201)301-9664.