Scholarship recipients, old and new, joined Adam Leitman Bailey on Thursday, July 27th, 2017 for the annual Scholars Luncheon. Taking in the scenery everyone reflected upon their experiences, thanking Adam for the opportunities and experiences he provided.

Each year, Adam Leitman Bailey, in conjunction with Building Foundations and Dreams, sits down with these inspiring students (from the most recent university graduates to rising college freshmen) to honor their hard work and celebrate their outstanding achievements, both inside and out of the classroom. At the annual luncheon, the recipients have the chance to talk one-on-one with Mr. Bailey, network with one another, and provide Mr. Bailey with their latest updates – new jobs, awards received in the previous semester, and other exciting adventures in their personal and professional lives. This year was particularly special, as it marked the tenth year of the scholarship’s existence.

On Friday, June 17th, 2016 recipients of the Raymond “Hap” Harrison sat down with Adam Leitman Bailey for the annual Scholarship Luncheon. At the luncheon, three new recipients, Ashley Brito, Chabely Jorge, and Sefany Lazieh, were honored with the scholarship honoring their hard work both academically and at the firm. The group also celebrated the graduation of one recipient, Breanne Springstead, who graduated from Rutgers University in May. Ms. Springstead thanked Adam Leitman Bailey saying, “Thank you, because without the scholarship, my time at Rutgers would have been totally different.” Receiving the scholarship has changed her life and has given her the tools she needed to graduate in the top 2% of her class.

These luncheons give the students time to talk with Mr. Bailey, seek advice from him and catch up. This year, there was a special guest via Skype, Raymond Harrison himself spoke to the group, sharing words of wisdom. Raymond Harrison was a track coach at New Milford High School and was a mentor to Adam Leitman Bailey, and in turn Mr. Bailey named the scholarship after him. Mr. Harrison shared how proud he is of the students and of Adam Leitman Bailey for his continued generosity in providing the scholarship year after year.

Throughout the lunch, the students reflected on their experiences and discussed what being a scholarship winner means to them. Each and every one of them would not be where they were today without both the financial support and mentorship given to them by Adam Leitman Bailey. The scholarship program has grown every year since it’s creation in 2008.

Hi, I’m Stefany Lazieh. Hi, I’m Breanne Springstead. Hi, I’m Jennifer Teets. Hi, I’m Chabely Jorge. Hi, I’m Ashley Brito. Hi, I’m Kelly McNaughton. We are the Raymond “Hap” Harrison Scholarship winners.

SL: I have just received the Raymond “Hap” Harrison scholarship and I will be attending Rutgers University in the fall. I will be studying Premed and possibly major in microbiology or biochemistry.

BS: I just graduated Rutgers University in New Brunswick. I majored in Communications, with minors in Phycology and Human Resource Management.

JT: I’m about to go into my last year at the College of New Jersey. I am a Sociology major with a minor in Public Health.

CJ: I just received the Raymond “Hap” Harrison Scholarship and I’ll be attending Columbia University this fall, and I plan to major in Political Science

AB: I have just received the Raymond “Hap” Harrison Scholarship, and I plan to attend Fordham in the fall. I hope to major in Political Science.

Q. What does receiving the scholarship mean to you?

KM: I am going into my junior year at Rutgers University and I am studying Business Management and Labor Studies. So as a recipient of this scholarship, I have been able to not have to take out loans to go to college, which is something that has really been a blessing because it has allowed me to accomplish so much. I’m so grateful for it, because you know it’s hard to go to college and have these opportunities and I see my friends, you know, struggling with loans and for me it’s just freedom to do what I want, to major in what I want and really just get the most out of my experience without worrying about the financial side of it.

BS: So, other than the financial side of having the scholarship, it really has taught me time management because I had to keep a GPA above 3.75 so you really have to study and get your work done, but also obviously mental health wise you can’t just sit and study all day, so I was able to figure out how to balance studying, having fun, maintaining my grades and then because of having to maintain my grades, I ended up graduating in the top 2% of my class.

JT: Of course the financial aspect of the scholarship has been extremely valuable. I was able to study abroad for a whole semester in Barcelona, which financially can be a burden, but it was an opportunity that I wish everyone could have. In addition to the financial aspect, just having Adam’s mentorship has been extremely valuable to me. He’s helped me pursue different internships and positions sort of in his field with connections that he has, but he’s also helped me pursue thing that are not so aligned with his interests and that is extremely valuable. He goes above and beyond to help in something that doesn’t really know about, like healthcare for example.

CJ: I’m very honored and excited to have received this from Adam, because that means that I demonstrated a lot of hard work and dedication. His mentorship is probably the thing that I am most looking forward to and also all the experiences that receiving the scholarship can have, and above all the money will also help, for study abroad or anything else I’d like to do, especially since I want to go in South Africa for my major so, I hope that I can do that.

SL: I know that this scholarship will open so many opportunities for me in college and in the future, and I’m really grateful that Adam has allowed me to take this money and apply it to medical school, which I know can be an extreme financial burden. Not only has Adam provided me with his mentorship for college, but he has also opened the door for me to study medicine and any kind of medicine that I hope to pursue in the future.

AB: For me, applying to college was a lot about the financial aspect. I didn’t want to burden my mother, my parents, or my family in general with a lot of debt, so for me the scholarship really means that I got to go to a school that’s quite frankly, very expensive and the scholarship really helped me kind of finalize my decision and realize that I could do it, so there was a lot of financial benefit for me. I think that additionally, the scholarship is additional motivation for me in my education because I know that looking at it, and even looking at the plaque in the future it’s like someone believes in me, and it will be motivation for me to continue and pursue my education further.

KM: More than just the scholarship, it’s really Adam himself being there for each and every one of us. He really goes above and beyond to make sure that we have everything we need to succeed, and you know it’s not even about the money at the end of the day because it’s about him emailing us, checking in on us and that’s the part of being a scholarship winner that is most important.

Q. Thoughts and takeaways:

CJ: I want to say thank you to Adam for having given me this opportunity.

BS: I just want to say thank you, without the scholarship, my time at Rutgers would have been totally different, and I just want to say thank you because despite the fact that I worked here five years ago, I’m still getting help from Adam, he’s helping me find a full time job now that I’ve graduated and it’s amazing. It’s honestly a lifelong help just to be here.

KM: This has been a learning experience like no other and even as the years go by, and we’re all in college now or going to be in college, we’re still learning form Adam, every single day, every time we contact him and I think that’s really amazing, so thank you.

AB: Even though Adam and I may not work personally, Adam was always checking in, going are you okay? How is the college process going?, and he even gave me advice about which college to choose, so I appreciate all of his support and, more than that, I appreciate the mentorship that I know will come from the scholarship.

SL: I just want to thank Adam especially for, not only the scholarship, but for all the experience I’ve had.