Mariah

Mariah is a graduate student at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. She will earn her master’s degree in public health in Health Policy and Management with a health and human rights certificate. Mariah received the Heilbrunn Scholarship, a $40,000 scholarship, to fund her education. Mariah graduated summa cum laude from Fordham University in May 2023. Mariah was an English and philosophy double major with a 3.957 unweighted GPA. She received a $35,000 merit-based scholarship from Fordham and the Hotel Trades Union Scholarship of $12,000. Mariah was also involved in student clubs and leadership roles at Fordham. She was a Fordham Freshman Student Advisor, where she helped first-year students with their schedules and assimilation to college life. She planned productive activities such as game days and poem readings to help students forge bonds, aid adjustment, and decrease feelings of stress and anxiety. Additionally, Mariah was a dancer and choreographer for Fordham’s only Latin dance team, Candela Latina. Mariah graduated with honors from Archbishop Molloy High School in 2019 with a 4.0 GPA. Her coursework at Molloy included AP Psychology, AP English Literature and Composition, AP English Language and Composition, and honors English, French, and History classes. She was awarded the Molloy Stanner Spirit Award and the Award for Academic Excellence in 2018 and 2019 and was on Molloy’s honor roll all semesters. Mariah was vice president of the Spanish club during her senior year. Her focus during her governance was the history of Caribbean culture. She was part of the track and field team, where she threw the javelin, shot put, and discus for three years. Mariah served as a youth ambassador for Project Nyme Nsa, a non-profit organization that works to create homes and opportunities for orphans in Ghana and Zambia, Africa. Her role included conducting fundraisers for the organization. Mariah was also involved in a program at Molloy, volunteering at Briarwood All Women’s homeless shelter in Jamaica, New York. Mariah tutored kids at the shelter ages five through thirteen in English, Math, and the Sciences. Mariah’s family is of Dominican Republic descent. She is fluent in Spanish and conversant in French. In addition to her work at Kweller, Mariah is an Administrative Intern at Montefiore’s Einstein Center for Bioethics. Mariah is involved in research projects and bioethics consultations. She hopes to use her research to encourage conversations concerning immigration and equitable access to quality healthcare. We are proud to add that Mariah is a longtime former student at Kweller Prep. Mariah’s older sister, Liss Mendez, was also a longtime former student at Kweller Prep and Molloy High School graduate. Liss also served as a legal intern for Frances Kweller years ago. Liss went on to attend St. John’s University School of Law and recently passed the New York State Bar exam. We are excited to have Mariah as a TACHS exam tutor, role model, and mentor for the students at Kweller Prep.