For immediate release
July 22, 2016
UNITE HERE Family Member Awarded 2016 Union Plus Scholarship
Winner Honored for Achievement and Union Values
Washington, D.C. – Union Plus recently awarded $150,000 in scholarships to 104 students representing 32 unions, including one winner representing UNITE HERE. This year’s group of scholarship recipients includes university, college, and trade or technical school students from 32 states. The UNITE HERE winner is:
- Vincent Lee of New York. Lee, whose father, Yew Lee, is a member of UNITE HERE Local 6, has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship.
Meet the 2016 UNITE HERE Honoree
Vincent is a 2016 high school graduate who will major in electrical engineering at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. He plans to further his education with a graduate degree in engineering or medicine. Vincent was a National Honor Society member and AP Scholar with Distinction, having achieved high marks in five AP classes in both his junior and senior years. He has been heavily involved in community service projects, including Habitat for Humanity in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, and he tutors in a wide variety of subjects. Vincent served as youth leader and event planner for the In-School Youth Program (ISY), working two hours daily throughout the school year to help other students with college preparation. He was also a homeroom representative for the Bronx High School of Science Big Sibs program, assisting middle school students with the transition to high school, as well as a volunteer teaching assistant in a local elementary school art class from 2012 through 2015. Vincent credits the union with helping his father find employment after being laid off from a hotel where he’d worked for a decade, as well as providing ongoing educational classes such as air conditioning repair and computer training. “My father was able to find an opportunity with their help and continue to do what he loves,” Vincent said. “He is incredibly grateful he has been part of the union for so long.”
Learn More About the Union Plus Scholarship Program
The Union Plus Scholarship Program, now in its 25th year, awards scholarships based on outstanding academic achievement, personal character, financial need and commitment to the values of organized labor. The program is offered through the Union Plus Education Foundation.
Since starting the program in 1991, Union Plus has awarded more than $4 million in educational funding to more than 2,700 union members, spouses and dependent children. Union Plus Scholarship awards are granted to students attending a two-year college, four-year college, graduate school, or recognized technical or trade school. The selection process is very competitive, and this year over 5,700 applications were received from 55 unions and all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia and three U.S. territories.
Visit UnionPlus.org/Scholarship for applications and benefit eligibility.
In addition to the scholarship program, Union Plus provides a wide range of money-saving programs and services for union members and families, including discounts on wireless services from AT&T, the only nationwide unionized wireless carrier, savings on travel and recreation, and more. Visit UnionPlus.org for details.
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About Union Plus
Union Plus is a brand of Union Privilege. Backed by the AFL-CIO, the Union Plus brand promises the value, quality service and competitive cost-savings that union members deserve. Since Union Privilege started in 1986, union members and their families have expanded and tailored Union Plus programs to serve today’s working families in their lives off-the-job. At Union Privilege, we are committed to improving the quality of life of working families through our unique products and services. We achieve our mission through savings, service and solidarity.