The Impact of the Javits-Frasier Scholarship Program: Part 2

by Amber Aaron and Haden Aaron

Editor’s Note: In an earlier Blog post, Maggie Aldana shared the impact of her experience as a Javits-Frasier Scholar. Now it’s time to hear from the student and parent she mentioned.

"I am so thankful that my son had Ms. Aldana in his life. Not all educators are as caring and thoughtful as she is. She encouraged him to use his skills to figure out how to handle problems, and gave him the tools to creatively use his knowledge in all aspects of life. There was an instant rapport between them and I loved that she was able to really inspire him. I was also impressed that she was able to help Haden cooperate with a group. Due to mild Asperger's syndrome and a mood disorder, Haden sometimes struggles with this. The fact that he was able to work well with others is a huge success for him. There is so much more I could say about the ways Maggie has impacted Haden's life, but I don't want to gush."

--Amber Aaron

"Ms. Aldana helped me to realize my potential by letting me find my own way and not forcing me to follow the ‘rules’ for assignments. I was nervous about the stock market challenge, and she taught me what to do. It was great that we won the award, because it was a lot of hard work. Now I know how to make money on the stock market! She also taught us coding, which is really great because I want to be a video game designer and creator. Ms. Aldana was always nice to me and she genuinely cared about me and my future. She allowed me to be creative, which I think means to imagine amazing things that have never been created."

--Haden Aaron

J-F Scholar Maggie Aldana with Haden and two classmates as they proudly share their award certificates in the statewide Stock Market Challenge.