In 2000, Elisa E. Molina, ’08, immigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic because her mother, already in the United States, was finally able to bring her children here. After Molina completed the High School of World Cultures in the Bronx in three years, her guidance counselor suggested she apply to Buffalo State. “When I came to orientation,” she said, “the campus was so beautiful.”

Molina plunged into college life. She lived on an all-girl floor in Porter Hall, she searched the posters in the Student Union for social activities, and she explored every extracurricular option she encountered, especially study-abroad programs. She was accepted to a study-abroad program in Russia in her first year, but finances kept her stateside.

Her first choice of major was not a good fit, so she turned to the Career Development Center for help. A counselor encouraged her to take a course that helps students select their majors.

“I was accepted into business administration my sophomore year,” Molina said. She chose the international business concentration. “I’ve seen people with no food,” she said. “I want to help a community in a developing country raise its standard of living.”

Thanks to the Ross B. Kenzie Family Presidential Scholarship, she was able to afford two study-abroad trips: a semester in Siena, Italy, and a three-week program in Puerto Rico. She also spent a semester at Florida International University through the National Student Exchange program.

After graduation, she moved to Washington, D.C., to work for a nongovernmental agency. “In two years,” she said, “I want to pursue my master’s degree in international development in a program that integrates a Peace Corps experience.”

The Ross B. Kenzie Family Presidential Scholarship program is designed to enhance student diversity at the college by increasing the enrollment and support for academically talented minority students. The scholarship is awarded on academic merit.