Newburgh Free Academy Senior Matthew Worrell has been awarded the 2022 Vice Chancellor Emerita Adelaide L. Sanford Scholarship from the New York State Department of Education.
The scholarship is named for Dr. Adelaide L. Sanford, the first African American and the first woman to serve as Vice Chancellor of the Board of Regents. Through Dr. Sanford’s generosity, the scholarships are awarded annually to exceptional My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) Fellows and graduating high school seniors from NYSED-recognized MBK communities.
Worrell was also selected to represent the Newburgh Enlarged City School District in the NYS Education Department Forum regarding the NYS Graduation Measures earlier this year. He was instrumental in facilitating student focus groups throughout the process. Matthew is a My Brother’s Keeper Fellow and co-hosted a Black History Month presentation to the NYS MBK Fellows.
In addition to participating in MBK, Worrell is also a member of the NFA Boys Track team, the NFA Black History Club, and National Honor Society.
Worrell is a first-generation American of Trinidadian and Jamaican descent and ranked in the top five percent of his class. During remote learning due to the pandemic, he formed virtual study groups to help himself and his classmates build on their learning together. He says that, as a member of MBK, he wants to carry on the legacy of taking care of his brother and to be a person who makes a positive difference in the world.
He will be attending Villanova University to study History in the fall. He plans to become a Civil Rights Attorney.
