My name is Filipe Zamborlini and I am a proud Alray scholar and graduate.
Thanks to Alray’s financial and mentoring support, I graduated this year from Harvard Extension School with a Bachelor’s degree in government and minors in statistics and economics. My degree opened the door to a public policy job at one of Boston’s pivotal women’s shelter, something that I could never have imagined five years ago.
I faced a large hurdle when I started my college career – I was an undocumented immigrant. For students in Massachusetts, that means you must pay double the in-state rate to attend public academic institutions.
Initially I enrolled at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and took a private bank loan to cover my education. However, in 2009, after the economy collapsed, my loan renewals were not granted. I had to drop out of school after only three semesters and accept the dire reality that my dream of going to college was gone. I could never afford the price of tuition.
Disillusioned with my academic reality, I put my energy to good use in my community and went to work as an advocate for immigrant, workers, students, and minority rights. Going back to college was nowhere in my mind.
Luckily, others encouraged me to return to school. The answer lay with Harvard, my dream institution. The out-of-pocket cost was less than what would have been my in-state tuition. I could go to school part time through the Harvard Extension School, without interruption to my work. I leapt at the opportunity.
In my first year, I was fortunate to meet a former Alray board member who told me about the second chance scholarship opportunity with Alray.
I waited a year to apply because, after an avalanche of rejection for aid, I was reluctant to try again. To my surprise, I was not only accepted into a program, but into the Alray family. With Alray’s help, I was able to take more classes in my first year and complete my degree at a faster pace than I believed possible.
In 2016, I attained my Legal Permanent Resident status and was finally eligible for financial aid through FAFSA which helped me cover additional classes to keep myself on track to graduate.
In May 2018, 11 years after starting my collegiate pursuit, I attended Commencement Day at Harvard. The financial aid from Alray, in conjunction with the support from my incredible mentor, helped me to access money from Harvard and graduate with zero debt. I was welcomed into an alumni community that, without Alray, would never have been possible.
When much is given in life, I believe more must be given back. Today I serve some of the most vulnerable in our society as the Public Policy Director at Rosie’s Place.
With deep gratitude for my experience, I am thrilled to be an Alray mentor. It is an honor to give back immediately after receiving such incredible support.
Your donation will support the Alray Scholars Program so that other graduates of Boston Public Schools who face setbacks in college can resume their studies, earn their degree and transform their lives as I did. I hope my story inspires you to support Alray.
Thank you.
Filipe Zamborlini
Alray Scholar and Harvard Graduate
