NDK Perseverance Scholarship Endowment
Nancy and Robert Kossowsky created the NDK Perseverance Scholarship in honor of their daughter, Nicole, and her success in meeting her own learning challenges. Nicole received a master’s degree in art education from Manhattanville College. She is currently a special education art teacher in the Bronx. The family’s intent in creating this scholarship is to “provide a scholarship for students who have demonstrated integrity and perseverance in overcoming adversity.”
“Ordinary students often ask whether there are any scholarships available when they do not have an A average,” wrote Nicole. “Although this scholarship does not require a high GPA, it does require excellence in character, and that students be extraordinary and amazing in other ways. Candidates need to have a diagnosed learning difference and have learned how to self-advocate as well as embrace their differences. They need to be able to see their differences as a gift rather than a disability. Most importantly, the recipient should be someone who wants to continue to learn and knows the steps needed to reach their standard of academic excellence.