2016 Scholarship Winner: Claudonna Hewitt

The Shulman Law Group has awarded a $1,000 college scholarship to Claudonna Hewitt, a Dover High School graduating senior set to attend Montclair State University in the fall.

The 2016 College Scholarship for First-Generation American High School Seniors in NJ sought to help local first-generation American students pursue their college aspirations. After receiving many exceptional entries from first-generation American students across New Jersey students, one entry stood out as the clear winner.

In Claudonna’s winning essay, graduating senior Claudonna Hewitt from Dover, NJ detailed her humble beginnings as a child living in a Brooklyn as her mother worked to provide for her. Her mother, who received only a grade school education growing up in Jamaica – where families must pay for schooling that her family could not afford – instilled in her the belief that “education is key. While she faced many challenges, Claudonna is now graduating from Dover High School and seeks to pursue a career as an optometrist.

The Shulman Law Group is thrilled to have the opportunity to aid first-generation American students and their families not only through this scholarship program but also through immigration counsel and guidance through the complicated and ever-changing immigration system.