NEW YORK, N.Y. (Month Day, Year) – Stella and Charles Guttman Community College is pleased to announce the re-launch of the Amadou Diallo Foundation (ADF) scholarship following a hiatus spurred by the Covid-19 pandemic. In partnership with ADF, Guttman has awarded the scholarship to current students Ryan Gordon and Thierno Diallo, no relation to the scholarship funder, for the Spring 2023 semester.
The ADF is dedicated to promoting racial equity and social justice, particularly by creating access for underserved youth to professional careers and higher education. It draws its inspiration from Amadou Diallo’s life and dreams. When he was slain by New York City police officers on February 4, 1999, he was set to begin his college education at Bronx Community College. In 2001, Kadiatou Diallo, Amadou’s mother, established the ADF to create a legacy that would honor her son’s life and dreams of the future.
“Since I first met with Guttman students, faculty, and administration I have been deeply impressed by the students and the College’s commitment to them. The initial recipients of the scholarship have gone on to senior colleges and graduated from them with distinction, and I know that this year’s winners will do the same. I am so pleased that Amadou’s dream lives on in them,” said Mrs. Diallo.
Dr. Dalvin Hill, associate professor of Information Technology and interim program director of United Men of Color (UMOC), serves as the Guttman liaison and was instrumental in advertising the scholarship, serving as a member of the interview panel and making recommendations to the Amadou Diallo Foundation.
“We are grateful to the ADF for making these scholarships a reality. Amadou Diallo’s dream of acquiring a degree lives on in our scholarship recipients. We are thankful to Mrs. Diallo and the ADF for their continuous giving to Guttman and the community,” said Dr. Hill.
Guttman is one of two CUNY schools, along with Bronx Community College, that has offered this scholarship opportunity. The Amadou Diallo Memorial Scholarship is a cornerstone program of the ADF, and Guttman is the ADF’s most recent partner among CUNY colleges. Partial tuition scholarships were offered to Guttman students beginning in 2019, but the ADF has now deepened its support by providing full-tuition scholarships.
In addition to the Amadou Diallo Memorial Scholarship program, the ADF hosts community events that bring activists, academics, students, and policymakers together to further the cause of equity and social justice for all. In West Africa, the ADF continues to maintain the ADF Computer Center in Conakry, Guinea, where students learn how to code and leverage digital technology to build careers and support their families.
Meet the Spring 2023 ADF Scholarship Recipients
Ryan Gordon
Ryan Gordon is from Brooklyn, New York, and currently serves as the Vice President of the Student Government Association at Guttman. He is a second-year student majoring in Information Technology and plans to pursue a four-year degree in Computer Science at SUNY Fredonia upon graduation. In his free time, he enjoys playing basketball and is aiming to be a member of the SUNY Fredonia basketball squad.
Thierno Diallo
Thierno Diallo moved to New York from Guinea, Africa in 2019. He completed high school in 2021 and then enrolled at Guttman to pursue his associate degree in Urban Studies. Diallo is expected to graduate in June 2023 and aims to pursue his baccalaureate degree in Urban Studies at Hunter College. His ambition is to work and tackle economic and political issues throughout New York.
About Guttman Community College
Stella and Charles Guttman Community College was CUNY’s first new community college in more than forty years. Reimagining what community college could be, Guttman opened its doors in Manhattan in August 2012 to create a research-based, innovative model focused on moving students efficiently toward graduation. Offering associate degree programs in a nurturing environment, the College’s three-year graduation rate consistently surpasses the national average, and most graduates transfer to senior colleges. Guttman is federally designated as a Hispanic-serving institution and minority-serving institution with more than 85% of the student population identifying as Latine or Black/African American. The College was named the best community college in America in 2020 and the top community college in New York State for 2020, 2021, and 2022 by Niche.com and other ranking agencies.
