NSA Scholarship Awards at City College CUNY

Photos by Jose Alfonseca

The Scholarship Foundation of the NSA, Inc. awarded this evening more than $120,000 in scholarships to students from local neighborhoods in New York and other areas in the Northeast during an awards ceremony dinner. Students with a GPA of 3.5 and higher received a $2,000 scholarship; the rest of the students received a scholarship of $1,000.

Supermarket owners that are NSA members distribute the applications in the communities served by their supermarkets; the students receiving the scholarships, mostly minorities, are chosen by the NSA Scholarship Selection Committee. The scholars are selected based on academic achievements, educational potential and financial need.

“The NSA and its members have a strong moral commitment to re-invest thru education in the communities served by our member’s supermarkets. The Scholarship Foundation is the heart of the NSA, and I feel especially proud to be part of it and assist these students achieve their academic and professional goals,” said David Corona, president of the NSA.

With the support of its sponsors, the Scholarship Foundation of the NSA has granted more than a million dollars in educational scholarships since it was incorporated in 1993. The presenting sponsor of this year’s scholarship awards ceremony is Frito Lay. The recent NSA Golf Classic raised most of the funding for the scholarships distributed today; presenting sponsors were Anheuser-Busch, Inc., followed by Affinity Health Plan, Coca-Cola, Hispanic Indoor Media, Pepsi-Cola and Wise Snacks. The event was also sponsored by Altria, Bimbo Bakeries, Bustelo, Cibao Meat, Delta Airlines, ESPN Deportes, Food Nation, Frito Lay, Goya Foods, Inca Kola, Kellogg’s, Key Food, Krasdale, Metropolitan Paper, MillerCoors, New York Yankees, Oak Beverages Inc., Porky Products, and Popular Community Bank.

“One of our main objectives is to empower our local communities thru education, and that is why we galvanize our vendor community in support of the Scholarship Foundation of the NSA. We believe education can transform a person’s life and that same person can have a positive impact and improve an entire community. The NSA serves as a catalyst between the vendors and the supermarket owners to raise the funds needed for the scholarships”, said Zulema Wiscovitch, executive director of the NSA.

Founded in 1989 by Hispanic entrepreneurs, the NSA is a trade association that represents the interest of independent supermarket owners in New York and other urban cities throughout the East coast and Florida.

The association has grown dramatically in the last two decades, and currently provides its members hands on representation in both the private and public sectors and advocates issues that impact the entire supermarket industry.

Most members are of Hispanic descent, and their stores are predominantly located in minority neighborhoods. Current membership represents approximately 400 supermarkets in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region.

Initiated in 1993, the Scholarship Foundation of the NSA is a non-for-profit organization with a 5o1c3 status. The NSA Scholarship Foundation’s mission is to provide educational scholarships to needy students from neighborhoods served by our members’ supermarkets, and therefore increase the number of college graduates from those areas.