Among the students in the CUNY Baccalaureate Program who will be receiving 2001 Thomas Smith Academic Fellowships are three people who have turned disadvantaged backgrounds into motivation to help others:

1. Patricia Farrell, a 30-year-old single mother, herself the last of eight children born to a teenage mom, plans to open a boarding school for teen moms called New Way, New Life.

1. Geza Veszter, a 40-year-old Hungarian born in Romania, moved to Hungary after his parents passed away and eventually made his way to the United States with $11 in his pocket, no friends or relatives, and no knowledge of the English language. His goal is to become an immigration lawyer.

1. A Cordon Blue-trained chef who has served the wealthy as well as experienced extreme poverty in his life, Hiram Bonner developed a New York Times -funded culinary training program for at-risk and drop-out youth. His area of concentration is Sports Nutrition.

Thirty-seven individuals will receive Smith Fellowships for 2001, which carry an award of $2,000 per term for full-time students and $1,000 for part-timers until each Fellow completes his or her degree. The Baccalaureate Program of the City University of New York is administered by CUNY's Graduate Center. This year's award ceremony will take place at The Graduate Center's Elebash Recital Hall on January 23, 2001, at 7:00 p.m.

The Smith award is based on academic performance, a personal essay, and a letter of recommendation from a faculty mentor. Since the establishment of the program in 1994, some 280 Smith Fellows have been named. The grants are made possible thanks to the generosity of businessman and philanthropist Thomas W. Smith.

Patricia Farrell is a 30 year old single mother with two children whose career goals are to serve young women in need of life focus and skills. As one piece of this, she plans to establish a boarding school for teen moms, New Way, New Life. As "the last of eight children born to a teenage mom," she wants to give back to young women in similar situations. She has served as a tutor and mentor in Project Peace at South Shore High School, teaching conflict resolution and writing skills to teenagers. Her commitment to service and her strong academic record has won her a Smith Fellowship as well as the prestigious Clark Fellowship, a $30,000 award for college seniors who have proven records in public service. Her dual areas of concentration are in psychology and urban multicultural studies.

Geza Veszter was born in October 1960 in a small village in Romania. His parents were Hungarian, making him an oppressed minority in that country. After his parents passed away, Mr. Veszter moved to Hungary. He says "When I was in Romania, I was considered a Hungarian and now that I was in Hungary, I was considered a Romanian." He then moved to the United States hoping "there must be a better place where I can be myself and not a nationality." He arrived in this country ten years ago with $11 in his pocket, with no relatives or friends, and no knowledge of the language. He says "The ten years I have spent in this country have been a long and bumpy road with many ups and downs. Life has been harsh, with many compromises. I realized that if I really wanted to be free and independent, since I was without roots, the only way was education. At 36 I put myself back in school. I have only one B+ and two A-'s; the rest are A's. Not bad for someone who ten years ago could not speak English. I work full-time, go to school full-time, support myself, pay for my tuition and my books. Now I am about to finish my undergraduate education and I am looking forward to law school. I want to be an immigration lawyer to help other immigrants like myself who arrive in this country with nothing or anyone to rely on." Mr. Veszter chose the CUNY Baccalaureate Program so that he would be able to do in-depth work in both Government and Economics. As he put it "I am convinced that neither politics nor government could exist without economics." He has designed an interdisciplinary area of concentration called "International Political Economy."

Hiram Bonner is a Cordon Bleu trained chef who has worked in hospitality management. While he came Afrom meager beginnings and had experienced periods of extreme poverty, coming to NY in 1987 and working in culinary area for the very wealthy was a "turning point" in his life. He not only did voluntary work with the hungry and homeless, he developed Kids Cook Too, a culinary training program that targeted at-risk and drop-out youth that was given seed money from The New York Times. This program was picked up by the NYC Board of Education in partnership with Kids N’ U a group of concerned New Yorkers that Mr. Bonner brought together. His area of concentration is Sports Nutrition.

The CUNY Baccalaureate Program operates as a small, individualized program within The City University of New York. Drawing on university-wide resources, the program reflects the CUNY-wide consortium model of The Graduate Center, where it is headquartered. The Program allows academically motivated students the freedom and independence to work with faculty advisors in developing an individualized course of study. In offering students an unusual amount of flexibility, the Program appeals to many individuals who have been away from school for a long stretch, work full time, manage a family, or have noncollege experiences that can be credited toward degree requirements. Students in the CUNY Baccalaureate Program can attend classes at all 17 CUNY colleges, and they frequently take advantage of independent research projects, internships, and honors seminars in the course of their studies. Since it was founded in 1971, nearly 5,000 students have received their undergraduate degrees through the Program, about 45% of the graduates have gone on to obtain master's degrees, and about 12% have since earned doctorates.

The Program's web site is www.cunyba.cuny.edu.