Mario's Kids Scholarships

In 1998, the Salvadori Center introduced the Mario's Kids Scholarships to spotlight former students whose lives were changed dramatically by their participation in Salvadori On-Site Programs. These students, now excelling in their high school or college courses, have set their sights on successful professional careers.

Yisell Mauricio. Yisell is a junior at the West Bronx Academy for the Future, with a strong interest in interior design who “likes to create a new atmosphere in places that need to change.” Her visit to the architecture firm HLW International has prompted her to consider architecture as a possible college major; by “designing the exterior, but also give shape to the interior.” Her teachers praise her intellectual curiosity, saying that regardless of the assignment, Yisell gives “110% of herself to the work.” She thanks architect-educators Patricia Shuford and Rafael Mejia for their constant support.

Akeem Perkins.Akeem is a sophomore at Pablo Neruda Academy for Architecture and World Studies, where he keeps up a busy schedule of academics and sports. He finds that the Salvadori programs as well as his internship at ATCO Properties have sparked his interest in pursuing architecture, engineering and carpentry, and he plans on combining these disciplines in college. His teachers delight in his “energy and enthusiasm,” and Akeem finds a great joy in living each day to its fullest.

Brian Yabindranauth.Brian is a junior at Bronx High School of Science. As a young boy he was fascinated by building things, and when the Salvadori Center offered a class in architecture at his middle school, he signed up right away. His teachers praise him for his sense of responsibility and work ethic. He has continued these interests through an internship at the environmental consulting firm AKRF, Inc., which he considers “a real-life educational experience.” A band member who plays several instruments, he plans to follow his passion for music when he moves on to college.

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Michael Bennett Memorial Scholarship

In early 1999, Michael Bennett, a promising 14 year-old high school freshman was tragically and senselessly killed over the outcome of a basketball game. During his three years in the Salvadori Prep Academy of Walt Whitman Intermediate School in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, Michael developed an ambitious goal -- to become an Air Force pilot and computer engineer. The scholarship was created to honor Michael's accomplishments and potential, and to encourage other middle school students to strive for success through education.

Ashley Martinez.Ashley is an eighth-grader at The Renaissance Charter School in Jackson Heights, Queens. She became a Salvadori student in the sixth grade, and in the following two years she became interested in the architectural challenges of ratio, scale, model-building, aesthetics, and community impact. Her teachers find her outspoken and articulate, a person who “puts her heart in all that she undertakes.” Her college plans range the professions from architecture to law to education. Whatever her choice, her plan is “to study and work hard, and to become successful in whatever I decide to do with my life.”

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Al Isaac Memorial Scholarship

In December 2004, stunned students mourned and commemorated Al Isaac's extraordinary life and the example he set for them. At the age of 36, Al was the senior architect-educator at the Salvadori Center and the consummate Renaissance man. He also co-authored and designed the layout for the Center's project book Over, On and Under our Communities: Lessons from Salvadori Classrooms and had a second full-time career as a songwriter, arranger and product developer for True Life Entertainment, a company that he co-founded. The Center established this award for his former students to continue Al's legacy of motivating students to learn and pursue higher education.

Shadiyah Porter.Shadiyah attends Pablo Neruda Academy for Architecture and World Studies, located in the Bronx, where she is a very busy junior. In addition to her full academic load, she takes a three-credit course in business at Monroe College and works in several after-school community service programs. Her participation in the Salvadori program has, in her words, helped her become a “responsible, mature, dependable and prepared individual,” and she remembers Al Issac as “a person of wisdom.” Her teachers find her a “person of strong moral values and solid character...versatile, articulate, and sociable.” She plans on earning a degree in Business Management.