In January, our Foundation proudly announced the launch of our first United States-based scholarship program, in partnership with the University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Continuing Studies. The program is designed to provide financial support to adults who are working to reach their potential, have financial need, and are facing or have overcome significant adversity and challenging circumstances.
Kathleen and her son Gideon
We are proud to introduce you to Kathleen, one of our inaugural recipients. Kathleen came to the program with an academic record and an employment history that had both seen starts and stops. A mother of two, she achieved an associate degree in 2019 and a bachelor of social work degree in 2022, two landmark achievements made possible by a commitment to sobriety that celebrated a ten-year anniversary last year.
“Kathleen had a tremendous accomplishment in reaching and maintaining sobriety, but she still faced the unexpected life challenges we all do in being laid off in 2017,” said Brandon Sosa CEO of the Barzilai Foundation. “Her son suggested she use that moment as a springboard to return to higher education and pursue her dream, even though financially they relied on her income, the education was a path to better long-term future. That type of dedication to a better future and overcoming obstacles is deeply inspiring.”
Kathleen’s goal is to obtain her master’s degree in social work, with a concentration in mental health. She intends to work as a licensed clinical social worker helping others who find themselves in the same situation she was in years ago. She’s already well on her way: she recently received her substance abuse counselor-in-training certificate, which enables her to counsel people one-on-one.
Kathleen intends to focus on people who are incarcerated or otherwise implicated in the criminal justice system. She sees a cycle of incarceration that involves mental health, substance abuse, trauma, and poverty. Although she was never in legal trouble, she understands the interrelatedness of these factors and is dedicating her career to helping others break the chain.
“I would like to be there for people who have not had that grace, those unseen and unheard,” she shared with us in her application for the program. “Long ago, I had a fantasy of changing the world. Now I have a goal of making a change in one life, one family, one community.“
“From Kathleen’s story one thing that inspires me is that her ultimate goal is to help others who are facing the same battle she dealt with and overcame,” Sosa added. “A person who has lifted themselves up, and now is going to turn around and lift up others is what our foundation is based upon. We are honored to have her in our inaugural cohort of recipients.”
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