:: Spotlight
Red Sox Salute Urban Scholars
View Video on YouTube
by Nanette L. Cormier
As a highpoint of the Urban Scholars 25th Anniversary Celebrations, the Boston Red Sox kicked off its May 6th game against the Cleveland Indians with a pre-game ceremony honoring the program.
Booming throughout Fenway Park, the official "voice" of the Sox announced, “The Boston Red Sox recognize and congratulate the University of Massachusetts Boston for its long history of service in providing pre-collegiate programs and financial assistance to young men and women in Boston Public Schools to help them succeed in college.”
Receiving the accolades were UMass Boston Chancellor J. Keith Motley, PhD and the co- founders of UMass Boston’s Urban Scholars Program, current chairman of the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education Charles Desmond and UMass Boston Vice Provost Joan Becker. They were joined by Urban Scholars alumnus and high school coordinator Arnold Chamanlal, college advisor Chris Kelley and current students Anthony Bennett, Klejdi Budo, Pamela DeLeon, and Gladymir Joseph.
The announcement concluded: “Congratulations to UMass Boston and the Urban Scholars program for making a difference in the lives of young people in the City of Boston.”
The ceremony was accompanied by eight coveted tickets. Chamanlal says the competition was steep in deciding which Urban Scholars would attend. “We tried to pick those who were the biggest baseball fans and chose one scholar who wants to be a sports announcer,” he says. While many were disappointed that they couldn’t go, "they handled it well.“
Chamanlal says that the evening will be an experience the kids will remember forever. "How many devout Sox fans have never even had a chance to come to Fenway, and we were able to step on the grass, shake Wally’s hand, and hear the cheers of the crowd. The kids were ecstatic — taking pictures with their cell phones and texting their parents.”
Following the ceremony's thrill, Arnold says that that he and the Urban Scholars "team" became ordinary fans, enjoying all the cherished traditions of a baseball game. "We ate hot dogs, had sodas, shouted when the Sox scored, and stretched our gloves wide catch the fly balls."
contact: DeWayne Lehman
Director of Communications
617-287-5302
Urban Scholars is made possible through the generous support of Verizon, Eastern Bank and other private donors.
Learn more about how you can support Urban Scholars
contact: Ellen Fleming
Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations
University Advancement
617-287-5327