Press Release, Branford Rotary Club

Her first day was frightening.

“It was so scary because I see all these young kids, and they’re all teenagers, and I’m 45!” recalled Branford’s Ilkay Ozdemir Sen, of her first day at community college two years ago. “I’m thinking, ‘Most of my teachers are the same age as me. It’s embarrassing.’”

“But then,” she added, “I had to do it for my kids.”

Now enrolled at CT State College –Gateway, in New Haven, Ozdemir Sen is one of the first recipients of Branford Rotary’s new “Resilient” scholarships, awarded to working adults age 26 and above who are going back to college, or going for the first time, to get a degree or a technical certificate.

For Ozdemir Sen, enrolling at Gateway was a first. The mother of two had never been to college before. Growing up in Turkey, she attended a technical high school, but education beyond that was expensive. When her family moved to America, to Minnesota, she didn’t have the English, or the money, for higher education.

“When you go to a new country, you have to be able to support yourself,” she said. “So there was no school. I had to work. A lot.”

Eventually she moved to Connecticut, married her husband Serkan, became a U.S. citizen, and had children - a boy and girl, now eight and 10. And she continued to work. Between parenthood, her job with the postal service, and the cost of living, college still wasn’t on the horizon. But it was on her mind.

“I’ve been telling my kids they need to make sure their grades are great so they can get go to college and get scholarships,” she said. “But I had to have a Plan B. I had to make sure that even if they don’t have scholarships, they can still go to college and I would be able to financially support them.”

What finally inspired her decision? Piano lessons.

Her son Arda and daughter Ayza were taking piano, but Ayza also wanted to do gymnastics. It was all too expensive. She told them they had to choose.

“It was breaking my heart to tell them that they had to pick one,” Ozdemir Sen said. “So I told myself, ‘I know it’s going to be hard, but I have to go to college.’”

She enrolled at Gateway in 2022, and is finishing her Associate’s Degree in cybersecurity. She takes classes after her shift at the post office, from 5 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Her husband also works full-time. It makes for a difficult balance.

“It’s hard because there are days where I get off work, pick the kids up from the babysitter, but I have to study ‘til midnight,” she said. “They’re kids. They want attention.”

Fortunately, her children have been understanding.

“At my daughter’s school, the students are encouraged to tell stories about their families. Ayza always mentions about me, how hard I work, and I’m really proud of that,” Ozdemir Sen said, then paused. “She makes me cry sometimes.”

Stories like Ozdemir Sen’s are why Branford Rotary launched Resilient scholarships. There are thousands of older “nontraditional” students in Connecticut, and millions across America. While they are eligible for financial aid, the vast majority of scholarships in the United States are geared toward high school seniors, and most of those are for four-year universities, and not certificate programs in fields like electronics, automotive repair, and water management.

“We wanted to do something about that,” said Branford Rotary President Ellen Carucci. “These people have jobs. They pay their own way for housing, utilities, textbooks. They’re feeding their families, and they’re studying late into the night. In a word, they’re resilient, and we feel we have an obligation to support them.”

Specifically, Branford Rotary has committed to giving $5,000 per year to Gateway to divide among deserving adult students from Branford who are eligible for financial aid. It’s a program Rotary hopes spurs imitations.

“We all want to change lives, but this is a program that actually does,” added Andy Marlatt, Rotary’s Resilient Scholarship Chair. “We hope other organizations take a look at this and include adult students in their scholarship programs.”

CT State – Gateway shares that vision.

“The Gateway Foundation is thrilled that Branford Rotary has recognized how great the need is, and how big an impact its scholarships will have,” said Gateway Foundation Chair Thomas Beirne III. “This is Gateway’s first scholarship program exclusively for nontraditional students, and we hope it’s the first of many as other communities come to realize what a difference these programs can make.”

What does it mean for Ozdemir Sen to be one of Rotary’s first Resilient Scholars?

“It’s incredible because it means I don’t have to worry if I’m going to be able to finish school,” she said. “I only have to worry about passing my classes, taking care of my family. If I don’t have the money, if I have to choose, then I’m going to put my kids first. I won’t be able to choose for myself.”

If you want to help Branford Rotary help these students, or if you want to learn more, drop a note to info@branfordrotary.org