Oliver Scholars: A Quest To Provide Diversity At Boarding Schools 

By Stephanie Woods

Oliver Scholars has lived up to their mission for the past 40 years and recently celebrated their 40th anniversary at Cipriani’s in New York City. 

The highly acclaimed educational program was truly deserving of a ‘black tie’ affair as the program honored Kwanza Jones and Jose E. Feliciano. The two business partners celebrated their newly joint family as the new parents vowed to continue their philanthropy efforts and support Oliver Scholars. Kwanza and Jose founded The Kwanza Jones & Jose E. Feliciano Initiative in 2014-a grant-making investment organization which has currently committed more than $200 million in their committed focus on (4) pillars- education, entrepreneurship, equity and empowerment and they will partner with non-profit and profit agencies to guarantee effective outcomes.  Kwanza and Jose’ have a long history as business leaders in the arts, investment banking firms, several foundations, medical centers, colleges, Stanford University, The Rober F. Toigo Foundation and The Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino. 

Harlem World spoke candidly with the creator and co-founder Mr. John Hoffman of the Oliver Scholars Organization which was founded in, 1984 by John and Oliver G. Wright.  As a recent graduate of Columbia University, John was eager and exciting to start volunteering ust as excited to discuss the mission of the organization and the great work which is being continued by its current CEO Dr. Danielle R. Moss.  HWM was given a full history of the program and why John and Oliver G. Wright worked so hard to help ‘Black and Latino’ youth gain access to elite boarding schools prior to Oliver’s accidental death. In Oliver’s memory, John named the organization after him and John continued with organizing the program and working feverishly with successful businesses such as ‘Pepsico’ to help with the financial burden of attending boarding schools and he fought the deep-rooted practices of racism at these schools, which was extensive in the early 1980s. John decided early on to seek students who were the best and the brightest. Admission was only based on GPAs, referrals from school administrators, teachers and guidance counselors and included a rigorous and extensive interview with the student. 

I questioned if it would be fair to only admit youth with high grades simply because some youth may have low grades but they could use a break in life since many were dealing with challenges at home but, John was quick to explain the logic in only accepting the best of the straight A students-according to his logic, if the child was having issues at home which affecting their grades, the challenges of leaving home and the racism and competition at a boarding school would be too much and the child would only be sent right back home which sadly would waste finances and time and may harm the child even more.  

The program partners with many prestigious boarding schools around the world, but George School was the preferred school due to its beatification settings and the landscaping. The Quaker all gender school located in Newton Pennsylvania was the perfect setting to give urban students a change in not only their surroundings, but their way of life.  John recalled one of his proudest moments of fighting his good fight to allow the acceptance of one of Oliver Scholars youngest student Sheena Wright. Sheena was an extremely highly intelligent Bronx youth who was referred to the school, but the program did not allow students under the age of 14. John could not pass up the opportunity of allowing Deborah to attend his program and after meeting with several heads at the school, it was agreed that an exception be made in Deborah’s case. Deborah was accepted to the Oliver Scholars Program and was sent to George School, she was a straight A student and today, Deborah is a Columbia Law School graduate, oversees an educational program at Abyssinian Baptist Church and was the Deputy Mayor of New York City. 

The program stands on the mission of aiding in educational opportunities for ‘extraordinary and gifted youth’. Alumnus Attorney Stafford Woodley Jr. is currently the Senior Legal Director at Pepsico and sits on the Board of The Bronx Museum, he graduated from the program in 1994. Stafford recalled being called to the principal’s office and the anxiety he faced while wondering what he had done wrong.  He laughs now, but he did not think he was a gifted student, but he was grateful to learn that he met the criteria. After graduating, Stafford stayed connected to the program and he is a part of the interview process of perspective students, mentors and supports their fund-raising efforts. 

The program included celebrating their Alumni Awardees Elizabeth Angeles, Corrine Irish and Latoya S. Massey.   According to their program, Elizabeth Angeles isa proud Oliver Scholars Alumna and lifelong New Yorker with Puerto Rican and Dominican roots and is currently a principal consultant for her civic sector at her consulting practice ‘Angeles Impact Advising’. Elizabeth is an Adjunct Professor at NYUs Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and holds a BA from Columbia University and an MPA from NYU and her career includes key roles at NYC Emergency Management, the Clinton Foundation and United Way of New York City – where she strengthened emergency preparedness and supported community resiliency in post-disaster situations.   

Alumna Corrine Irish is a partner at Square Patton Boggs which is a global law firm with over 40 offices. Corrine is an experienced litigator and strategic advisor and has advised both non-profit and commercial clients on anti-discrimination issues and compliance with Supreme Court rulings on race considerations in corporate contexts. Corrine was recognized as a ‘Presidential Leadership Scholar’ in 2022 an honor reflecting her dedication to leadership and positive change and has served as a board member on the Civilian Complaint Review Board after being appointed by then Mayor Bill De Blasio. Connie has contributed to legal education as an adjunct professor at Brooklyn Law School and she is active in her alumni network and serves as The Membership Co-Chair and Executive Board member of the Trustees Council of Penn Women and participates in the James Brister Society, supporting multicultural alumni leadership at the University of Pennsylvania. 

Alumna Latoya S. Massey, has been labeled ‘a visionary leader’ with over 20 years of experience developing strategies to improve educational systems. Latoya holds an undergraduate degree from Wesleyan University, a Master of Science and Teaching from Pace University, and is currently completing her doctoral candidacy in Educational Leadership. Latoya is dedicated to mentoring and is focusing on meeting the needs of those she serves. As a dedicated mentor for youth, Latoya has partnered with several organizations including Oliver Scholars and the Sherrie-Ann Gordon Foundation striving to create positive change and she has founded Envisioning Greater Opportunities (EGO) to promote inclusion and facilitate conversations that help their institutional goals. 

Alumni graduates Armani Miller and Nicole Brown are current supporters of the program and they credit Oliver Scholars with helping shape not only their careers but their life successes. Armani, a Columbia University Graduate is currently an account Vice-President at UBS Financial Services. Armani holds a Master of Professional Studies and Wealth Management from Columbia University, a bachelor’s degree in business and MBA in Finance from the University of New Heaven and is a Certified Exit Planning Advisor and also mentors at several organizations including Oliver Scholars.  Nicole holds 20 years in the non-profit sector and has made it her mission is to continue working with organizations and focus on increasing educational and economical resources for underserved communities and she prides her work on being driven by her desire to create a heightened awareness of institutionalized inequalities.  Nicole is currently a Project Coordinator at the NYC Department of Education.

According to their website, CEO Dr. Danielle R. Moss, previously served as President and CEO of the YWCA of the City of New York and the Harlem Educational Activities Fund. She was appointed by Mayor de Blasio to New York City’s Commission on Gender Equity and serves on the Board of Directors of The New York Women’s Foundation. Her contributions to education and the social sector have been recognized by the New York State Education Department and the Office of the New York City Comptroller, among others. In 2015, The Network Journal named her among the 25 Most Influential Black Women in Business. In the summer of 2016, she was featured in Corner Office, a regular column in The New York Times, and in Crain’s New York. Dr. Moss has contributed to The Daily Beast, The Huffington Post, Edutopia, The Amsterdam News, and City Limits Magazine. In 2018, she was invited to TEDWomen to give a talk on college access. 

Dr. Moss holds M.A. and Ed.M. degrees from Teachers College Columbia University, where she also completed her Doctorate in Organization and Leadership with a focus on Education Administration. She received her B.A. from Swarthmore College as a double major in English Literature and History, with a concentration in Black Studies.  https://oliverscholars.org/our-team/

Dr. Cox ended the award ceremony with a reminder to the supporters, current students and guests of their mission, which is to provide skills, strategies and resources to prospective students and to support, encourage and prepare youth academically and socially while remembering their motto “Outdream, Outdo and Outshine” the (3) tools required to compete in today’s educational system.  The evening went out with a bang, with a music performance by R&B great Mr. Jeff Redd, hip-hop icon Dougie Fresh-who reminded the crowd to continue celebrating hip-hop’s 50-plus years and soulful sounds by hip-hop pioneer DJ Wiz.

Stephanie Woods-McKinney is a Bronx native who graduated Magna Cum Laude from The College of New Rochelle with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Liberal Arts. She is a vocal community activist who sits on Community Board #10 in the Bronx; is a Co-chair of the Youth & Education Committee and holds a deep love for Hip Hop culture and community activism. Stephanie writes throughout NYC, and Harlem, she has also received countless awards and letters of recognition for her hip-hop photojournalism and a ‘Citation of Merit’ from Eric Adams. https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-w-2637a229/

Photo credit: Rowmena Husbands.

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