Road Forward Scholarship Fund Helps Economically Disadvantaged Students Succeed

Many high school students are familiar with the stress of getting into college or a technical school — the pressure to earn good grades, star in extracurriculars and file application after application, hoping for a chance to succeed in the program of their dreams.

When the good news arrives, the stress often melts away, replaced with relief. But for some, a new anxiety takes its place.

At five local high schools — Hampton Bays, Southampton, Bridgehampton, Pierson and East Hampton — 44 percent of the seniors come from economically disadvantaged families, which forces some to drop out of college after their freshman year due to lack of funds, according to Vivian Shapiro.

That’s where the Road Forward Scholarship Fund comes in, the nonprofit organization’s vice president said.

“This is about one thing only: It’s about these kids,” she said. “The only way to rise out of poverty is through education, and we can help them.

“One boy, I asked him why he was going into economics, and he said, ‘I can’t have my mother be late on the bills, and when I graduate, that will no longer happen.’”

Since 2022, the organization has gifted nine scholarships to deserving students from the participating high schools. The number, and amount, for this year’s graduating class will be based solely on the amount of money raised, explained President Sherri Lippman — in part decided by its second annual benefit, “Cabaret for a Cause,” on June 15 at LTV Studios in Wainscott.

“This is a communitywide effort,” Lippman said. “We are the boots on the ground, and we’re raising the funds. We’re getting the applications, we see the need, we’re connecting with them and mentoring them. But without the support from everyone else, we would have no scholarships to give.”

The idea for the scholarship fund was born among members of the Social Justice Committee at Temple Adas Israel in Sag Harbor, who were helping families that lost their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I had a particular concern about the kids — what was going to happen to the children when there has been no income for two years? What about college?” she recalled. “And they said they’re not going. I said, ‘Oh my God, that can’t happen.’”

Lippman and Shapiro, together with Heidi Siegel and Rivalyn Zweig, founded the Road Forward Scholarship Fund, a volunteer-run organization that seeks to help economically disadvantaged high school seniors pursue higher education.

According to nationwide numbers, the bar is households that earn $60,000 or less. “Certainly, a family of $100,000 out here needs a scholarship just as well,” Shapiro said, “but we don’t have enough money to do that.”

Two years ago, the organization awarded its first three single-year scholarships — which was a great start, Lippman said, but not enough. After more research, the founders learned that in order for students to succeed, they needed support for all four years of college, not just the first.

And so they expanded their fundraising efforts — and raised over $100,000.

“With the cost of living, the cost of housing and the cost of colleges, people are responding really strongly, because they get it, within their own families,” Lippman said. “They get it, within their relatives, with their friends who are struggling to pay for college education, and they want to help.”

With the boost in funds, the organization was able to give six $10,000 scholarships, spread over four years. Many of the students are not only first-generation citizens but also first-generation college students.

“Every student has a fabulous story of survival,” Shapiro said. “They have none of the privilege that our children have. They have to support themselves — they’re very, very strong.”

This year, the organizers received 70 applicants and eliminated any families that earn above the $60,000 economic line. Then, the students are interviewed and narrowed down again to the final pool.

“But the problem is, the people who are interviewing fall in love with every single kid,” Shapiro said.

“When we heard the stories, we met the kids, we wanted to accept every single child who applied — and the challenge remains, because we’re limited in what we can give them, because our restraint is what the community will donate and how generous they will be,” Lippman said. “Our money and our scholarship is dependent upon the generosity of others.”

Among the Road Forward Scholarship Fund recipients, college majors range from political science and jewelry design to business, music and economics. One of last year’s scholars, who graduated from Bridgehampton High School, said she wants to pursue nursing in order to create a safe space for people of color.

Another from East Hampton High School said he left Ecuador four years ago “to be free of a very dangerous life.” He now dreams of becoming a veterinarian.

“These kids come from so much, so much struggle — having lost parents, having been abandoned, having abusive situations, something that none of our kids experience,” Shapiro said, “and yet to rise up above it and want to keep the American dream is extremely beautiful to me. They believe it, and they need all the support they can get, emotionally and economically.”

Every month, Shapiro checks in with the nine recipients. For many of them, it’s the first time they’re away from home, she said. It can be lonely and isolating at first, but she reported that they are now all thriving.

“I see tremendous growth in them, in their confidence, in their knowing that they’re gonna go back next year,” she said. “Kids who come from disadvantaged backgrounds have a huge dropout rate after their first year — it’s very, very high. So our staying with them, mentoring, is making sure we can cover the bases.”

Looking ahead, the founders said they hope to expand the scholarship by partnering with local area sponsors to offer programs for students, such as internships and financial literacy programs. The organization also established an emergency fund for current scholars, should they need it.

“When our kids graduate, we’re not changing their economic status. We’re changing through entire families,” Lippman said. “All of them say they will help their siblings go to school, and they become a model. Being the first and doing it and succeeding and seeking employment has far-reaching implications for the community at large — and that’s why we’re here.

“That’s why we’re doing what we’re doing: to rise them up and to help them succeed.”

Cabaret for a Cause, the second annual Road Forward Scholarship Fund benefit to aid local, economically disadvantaged high school seniors, will be held on Saturday, June 15, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at LTV Studios in Wainscott. Featured performers are Liz Larsen, Sal Viviano and Danielia Cotton, with emcee Todd Buchanan. Tickets are $175. For more information, visit roadforwardscholarship.org.