A New Beginning
St. Joseph’s University, New York is proud to announce the establishment of the Dr. Sydelle Brooks ACES Program Scholarship, named in honor of the Academic Center for English Language Studies (ACES) program’s founding director. A partnership between the University’s Office of Institutional Advancement and the ACES program, the new initiative will raise $25,000 over the next five years to support the scholarship assist to ACES students with tuition resources.
So far, the University has raised more than $2,000 through word of mouth alone, thanks to the incredible generosity of the SJNY community.
Founded in 2001, the ACES program was created to help immigrant and international students refine their English skills while providing them with the confidence to succeed in college and the professional world.
The Dr. Sydelle Brooks ACES Program Scholarship marks a major milestone as the ACES program celebrates 25 years at SJNY. According to Lisa Galasso-Werner ’08, MS/MBA ’13, Director of Development & Consortium Giving, the newly established scholarship reflects the University’s supportive community and its commitment to helping students achieve their goals.
“Celebrating 25 years of ACES means celebrating the students whose lives have been changed by this program. The Dr. Sydelle Brooks ACES Program Scholarship is a chance for the SJNY community to make that impact personal by giving multilingual students the tuition resources they need to succeed,” Galasso-Werner shared. “Every gift helps an ACES student move closer to their goals and reminds them that their St. Joseph’s community believes in them.”
Those looking to donate to the scholarship can do so by clicking here.
About the ACES Program
The ACES program at St. Joseph’s University, New York has brought life-changing cultural, academic and professional opportunities to its multilingual student population. As an intensive reading and writing learning community, the ACES program emphasizes meaningful experiences inside and outside the classroom, fostering a rich and inclusive community for students, staff and faculty to call home.
From trips to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden to one-on-one tutoring and faculty advisement to career counseling, ACES has remained a staple for high-achieving immigrant and international students seeking to advance their academic and professional goals.
In fact, over the last 25 years, four ACES students have been named class valedictorian. Many ACES alumni have gone on to build successful careers in diverse fields, including healthcare, education, law, finance, business and hospitality.
One such example is Aarohi Poudel ’26, an international student from Nepal, who recently graduated with her B.A. in Economics. During her time at SJNY, Poudel took part in the University’s donor-funded Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) program and served as president of the Debate Club. Today, she works as a humanities teacher.
“ACES played a really important role in helping me adjust to college in the U.S. When I first arrived, I was still figuring out how the academic system worked and what was expected of me, and having a program where I could turn to people for help made that transition much easier,” Poudel shared.
Now as an alumna, Poudel remains connected to the SJNY community, attending events such as the University’s Young Alumni Night Out. She also plans on attending ACES 25th Anniversary Celebration this October.
A Cause for Celebration
In honor of the ACES program’s 25th anniversary, SJNY will host a celebration on October 22 in Tuohy Hall. The event will be an opportunity for ACES alumni, faculty, staff, students and friends to reconnect, reflect on the program’s impact and learn more about the Dr. Sydelle Brooks ACES Program Scholarship.
To register for the ACES Program 25th Anniversary Celebration today, click here.
