Claudia Iwinski

Claudia Iwinski of Garfield, N.J. is a first-generation student with a major in Bioinformatics and has maintained a 3.6 GPA. In 2022, she received the TAS Ramapo Book Prize for Academic Excellence. 

This past summer, Claudia was selected as a participant in the 2023 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows/Research Experience for Undergraduates (SURF/REU) Program at The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology where she was able to pursue immunology-based research for 10 weeks.

Beyond her academic pursuits, she is very involved with SC Vistula Garfield, the oldest Polish soccer club in the USA. At a young age, Claudia discovered her passion for soccer, a passion that would eventually lead her to create history. Most notably, she is currently the assistant coach for a young girls’ team and the club’s coordinator for the Recreational Youth Program that has partnered up with Poland’s prestigious Legia Warsaw Academy. 

Through her dedication to academia, soccer, and her cultural heritage, Claudia hopes to inspire others to pursue their passions, contribute to their communities, and embrace the richness of their backgrounds.  

Awarded Scholarships

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2024

Wojciechowski-Dembia Scholarship

Sofia Wojciechowski was born in 1917, the oldest of four children of Polish immigrants. Sofia grew up in Mahwah, NJ and in 1945 married Edward Dembia, a purchasing agent for Maxwell House Coffee. Together they built a home in Mahwah.

Sofia worked as a legal secretary, then obtained NJ real estate and insurance licenses. She was the owner and operator of Ramsey Interstate Realty and Insurance for many years. Sofia was notoriously frugal and a hard worker. “She took pride in recounting that her initial salary as a legal secretary was $5 per week,” according to a July, 2010 article in the Villadom Times. “She promptly opened a Christmas Club account and tried to save $1 per week for the 50 weeks of the Club. She recalled that in that first year she had saved ‘only’ $48.”

Sofia and Ed were active in the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, where they maintained ties with Poland and worked to keep Polish traditions alive in the parish. They traveled to Poland often and hosted Polish relatives when they visited the United States. The Dembias routinely sent packages of hard-to-find goods to relatives in Poland during the years of communist rule.

Edward Dembia died in 1988 and Sofia died in 2010 at the age of 93. In her will, Sofia created scholarship funds at Don Bosco High School, Felician College and Ramapo College. The Wojciechowski-Dembia Scholarship at Ramapo is a permanently endowed fund for students to “pursue any course of study.” Whenever possible, Sofia desired that the scholarship “be given to students of Polish descent or students demonstrating a continuing interest in Polish culture.”

Jackie & Paul Garber Scholarship

Jackie Fain Garber graduated from Ramapo College in 1975 and became a kindergarten and Montessori teacher. In 2001 she and her husband Paul decided to start an annual scholarship to recognize good students with financial need who may need a little help in paying their college costs. “I’ve gotten so much from my Ramapo education,” Jackie said at the time, “I would like to give back.” Students who receive the Garber Scholarships can be studying any discipline, but must demonstrate financial need and be in good academic standing. Sadly, Mr. Garber died in March, 2014.

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Marion C. Dugan Scholarship

Marion Dugan and her husband Pat are former long-time residents of Mahwah. When her children were older, Marion enrolled at Ramapo College to take the final courses required to earn her bachelor’s degree. She graduated in 1980 with a degree in Metropolitan Studies/Public Administration.

Mr. and Mrs. Dugan are the co-founders of Charity Navigator, which they founded in 2001. Charity Navigator provides free, unbiased ratings on more than 7,000 American charities. Marion also was a member of the Mahwah Board of Education for 13 years and served as president for two years. She served on the Ramapo College Foundation Board of Governors and chaired the Allocations Committee.

?When I was a student at Ramapo I saw the financial need among students, especially in their junior and senior years,? says Marion. She was particularly struck by the dedication some students gave toward earning a degree, especially returning adult students with children.

To recognize such dedicated students, Mrs. Dugan established this endowed scholarship fund in 2005. The award benefits seniors of any major who demonstrate financial need.

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