News & Events
2007 Presidential Scholar Named at City Tech
Campbell is flanked by City Tech President Russell K. Hotzler (left) and Foundation Board Chair Martin Jaffe.
Photo credit: Yue ChenCity Tech has awarded its prestigious Presidential Scholarship to 18-year-old Marcus Campbell.
Campbell, whose experience as a student at Benjamin Bannaker High School in Brooklyn was marked by high grades and a score of 1220 on his SATs, is a City Tech freshman. He says he feels extremely lucky to have won the City Tech Presidential Scholarship, which will pay his tuition and fees to a maximum of $4,000 annually for four years, as long as he maintains a grade point average of 3.25 (out of a possible 4.0) or higher.
“I never expected to win this scholarship,” says Campbell, who lives with his parents, his grandmother and two sisters in Crown Heights. “But now that it’s been awarded to me, it’s like I’m being paid to go to school. How great is that!” Without this assistance, he adds, it would have been very difficult for him to complete his undergraduate education.
When faced with a life challenge, Campbell says, he always turns to his favorite adage, “the truth hurts,” and he accepts it, copes with it and moves on to the next challenge. "The main difficulties I had to overcome during my adolescence were economic ones experienced by my family, combined with the stress of living in a rough neighborhood," he says.
"Luckily, I not only survived, I beat the odds by applying myself to my studies and doing well in school. This scholarship is my special reward,” he adds.
Education is a priority in the Campbell household. His older sister graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology/SUNY and his father, a middle-school teacher, holds a bachelor’s degree from John Jay College/CUNY and a master's degree from Brooklyn College/CUNY.
Campbell, intending to major in marketing management and sales at City Tech, says he chose that field because it requires creativity and flexibility. “To be an effective marketer,” he explains, “one has to develop skills in research and has to be able to work well with others. I’m interested in acquiring all of those abilities.” Furthermore, he says, becoming educated in the world of commerce can lead to a well-paid career.
This past summer, Campbell interned at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in the “community ambassador” program, which included an “ethics and business” project. One of his tasks was to delve into the history of the Navy Yard to find evidence of socially responsible organizational behavior. "I learned that the Navy Yard is a valuable resource in Brooklyn," he explains. "Among other things, it runs an employment center that provides local residents with job opportunities.
"A corporation or non-profit organization that is socially responsible reaps rewards for its actions," he adds. "Besides helping society deal with social and cultural issues, it also attracts more business because ethical companies are more respected in the community and profit from that respect.”
At the Navy Yard, Campbell also researched local laws, unions, the employment center, various internship programs and the organization’s participation in LEED (Leadership and Environmental Energy Design), a federal initiative that offers benchmarks for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. In addition to doing research, Campbell says much of his time was spent doing maintenance and service work.
Asked what his favoriteastimes are, Campbell unhesitatingly named reading and basketball. “My role model,” he confides, “is Tim Duncan, a star player on the San Antonio Spurs. He’s not only a great player on the court, but he behaves professionally off the court as well -- and that’s something many people don’t do.
"I know I have the capacity to do good and aim to continue on that path," he adds. "People
believing in you is one of life's greatest motivations."
City Tech’s Presidential Scholarships are funded with charitable donations to the New York City College of Technology Foundation, Inc. Incoming freshmen who rank in the top 20 percent of their class and have a 1080 or higher SAT score are eligible to apply.
New York City College of Technology (City Tech) of The City University of New York is the largest public college of technology in New York State. The College enrolls more than 13,500 students in 57 baccalaureate, associate and specialized certificate programs. Another 15,000 students enroll annually in adult education and workforce development programs, many of which lead to licensure and certification. Located at 300 Jay Street in Downtown Brooklyn, City Tech is at the MetroTech Center academic and commercial complex, convenient to public transportation.
