Community Magazine June 2021

48 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE Edele Schwekey grew up in Long Branch, New Jersey and dreamed of becoming an ABA therapist. Although her older sister, Judy, found fulfillment as an accountant, Edele was looking for something different. She dreamed of working with children on the Autism spectrum and bringing in a generous salary to support her growing family. Edele realized she would need to first earn both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree to fulfill her goal. She was not afraid of the hard work ahead of her or the time commitment. What scared her was the expense of such an education and the specter of spending decades paying back student loans. Edele was interested in studying at Sara Schenirer Institute. However, like all frum degree programs, Sara Schenirer partnered only with New York colleges and this severely limited the amount of financial aid a New Jersey student could receive. Federal financial aid is available to students irrespective of location, but state-based financial aid is only awarded to in-state students attending in-state colleges. As a Long Branch resident, Edele was not eligible for full financial aid. This meant that she and others in her situation often had no choice but to pay far more than they could afford or to forgo earning a degree and the opportunity a degree would provide, allowing one to earn a stable parnassah . New Arrangement Makes Financial Aid Accessible for All The good news is that young ladies like Edele no longer face this problem. Just nine months ago, in July 2020, Sara Schenirer announced a new and exciting partnership with St. Peter’s University, a New Jersey institution of higher education, so that New Jersey students could receive the full amount of financial aid grants. This would ensure that every eligible student could receive her degree without paying any, or only very low, tuition costs. This is because the combination of federal and NJ financial aid often covers the full cost of a degree program. Sara Schenirer also arranged that even students who are not eligible for financial aid would be eligible for significant scholarships to offset the cost of earning a degree. “Having observed New Jersey students struggle to afford a degree for so many years, we were determined to change that in a very significant way,” said Mrs. Batsheva Shonek, longtime Director of Sara Schenirer. “Our new partnership with SPU is a real game-changer. They worked with us to ensure that students receive full financial aid, or in the case of students who are not eligible, exceptionally large scholarships. This means that students will pay either nothing, or relatively small sums for what would otherwise be an expensive degree.” Mrs. Shonek added that the senior leadership of Sara Schenirer from the president on down were all highly supportive of this effort. “They took a personal interest in our community and were committed to finding a solution to the problem. Every cost-saving measure that we could think of was embraced enthusiastically by the president, provost, and program deans.” According to Mrs. Aidella Avtzon, the Academic Director, the college has been very receptive to her oversight, and equally flexible in their requirements. “I work closely with the deans of each program to recommend professors from within the religious community. Of course, they must meet the college’s hiring standards, but that’s not an obstacle. We have many outstanding professionals within our community and the college is enthusiastic about bringing themon board to teach the Sara Schenirer students.” Bachelor’s in Education & Special Education Although the partnership was only formalized in July, in Fall 2020 Sara Schenirer began their first program through SPU with a surprisingly large cohort of students. “We offered a BA in Education and a Special Education program that offers full NJ certification at the bachelor’s level,” explained Mrs. Chumie Meisels, New Jersey coordinator. “Whereas New York requires educators to have a bachelor’s and master’s degree, New Jersey does not. They require only a bachelor’s degree in education, and students receive full NJ certification at the undergraduate level. This eliminates the need for extra schooling and greatly reduces the cost since master’s degree students are not eligible for financial aid grants, only loans.” Sophie*, a current student in the program, shared that her experience at Sara Schenirer has been thrilling. “The coursework is definitely challenging, but we’re learning so much and gaining real skills. I can see the difference these skills make in my classroom where I perform fieldwork. But the really exciting thing is that I will only need a bachelor’s degree to gain my certification. My friends who went elsewhere needed to earn a bachelor’s and a master’s degree.” Sara Schenirer Offers Affordable High-Level Education with a Twist LEORA ABADI