Four MEC Students Receive $20,000 in Scholarships from Voya Financial
Brooklyn, NY—January 26, 2022—Voya Financial, Inc. announced that four students from Medgar Evers College (MEC) have been selected to each receive a $5,000 scholarship from Voya Foundation, through the company’s Voya Teacher Voices program. Voya Financial is a leading provider of retirement plans for educators.
The recipients of the 2021 Teacher Voices scholarships are MEC students Keely Bubb (2023); Ruth Fraser (2022); Tricia Maxwell (2022); and Rene Vacianna (2022). Each of these students is an early childhood and special education major in MEC’s School of Education. The College is part of the City University of New York (CUNY) and one of the nation’s Predominantly Black Institutions.
“Awarding this year’s Teacher Voices scholarships to these four inspiring students from a Predominantly Black Institution reflects our commitment to diversifying our nation’s workforce of educators and to supporting students in underserved communities,” said Braeden Mayrisch, Voya’s associate vice president, stakeholder equity and impact; vice president, Voya Foundation; and a board member of the Medgar Evers College Educational Foundation. “We are thrilled to continue this commitment by helping these outstanding students who are destined to have a tremendous impact on students when they begin their careers.”
The recipients were chosen by a selection committee consisting of five 2021 State Teachers of the Year and the 2021 National Teacher of the Year. The National Teacher of the Year Program is managed by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), a nonprofit organization of public officials who head departments of elementary and secondary education, which has long worked with the Voya Teacher Voices program.
Established in 2018, Voya Foundation’s signature program, Voya Teacher Voices, focuses on empowering teachers to become leaders by promoting the teaching profession, recognizing high-achieving educators, providing training opportunities, and offering financial support.
Through Voya Teacher Voices, its classroom grants program, Voya Unsung Heroes and other Voya Foundation programs, including sponsorship of the national and state Teacher of the Year recognitions, Voya has been committed to supporting current and aspiring educators for 25 years.
About Medgar Evers College
Located in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, Medgar Evers College offers both associate and baccalaureate degrees. A four-year college within the City University of New York (CUNY) system, Medgar Evers College was established in 1970 with a mandate to meet the educational and social needs of the Central Brooklyn community. In its commitment to providing students with a sound academic foundation as well as an opportunity for personal development, Medgar Evers College offers high-quality, professional, career-oriented degree programs within the context of a liberal arts education. Medgar Evers College is part of NASA’s Space Grant Project as well as the Thurgood Marshall College Fund as a predominantly black institution. For more information, visit mec.cuny.edu.
About Voya Foundation
Voya Foundation’s mission is to improve the quality of life in communities where Voya Financial operates and its employees and customers live. Voya Foundation provides grants and establishes signature partnerships in the areas of financial literacy and children’s education and fosters employee engagement to deepen our positive impact on the community. For more information, visit www.VoyaFoundation.com.
About Voya Financial
Voya Financial, Inc. is a leading health, wealth and investment company that provides products, solutions and technologies that help Americans become well planned, well invested and well protected. Serving the needs of 14.8 million individual, workplace and institutional clients, Voya is a Fortune 500 company that had $7.6 billion in revenue in 2020 and $718 billion in total assets under management and administration as of Sept. 30, 2021. Certified as a “Great Place to Work” by the Great Place to Work Institute, Voya is purpose-driven and is equally committed to conducting business in a way that is socially, environmentally, economically and ethically responsible. Voya has earned recognition as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by the Ethisphere Institute; the No. 1-ranked financial services firm among Barron’s 100 Most Sustainable Companies for three consecutive years; a member of the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index; and a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion” on the Disability Equality Index. For more information, visit voya.com.
About The Council of Chief State School Officers
The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) is a nonpartisan, nationwide, nonprofit organization of public officials who head departments of elementary and secondary education in the states, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Education Activity, Bureau of Indian Education, and five U.S. extra-state jurisdictions. CCSSO provides leadership, advocacy, and technical assistance on major educational issues. The Council seeks member consensus on major educational issues and expresses their views to civic and professional organizations, federal agencies, Congress, and the public.
Excerpt from press release published on BusinessWire on January 10, 2022.
