“A college education is not the norm in my neighborhood. A lot of my friends enrolled in college but many dropped out. Others have been in and out of jail, or have found themselves in dead-end jobs. SEEDS started me off on an educational journey worth $413,924 – and all at no cost to my family. The single best thing SEEDS taught me is that one person determining that you have potential will drastically change the trajectory of your life. It only takes one.”

D’Shai Hendricks

SEEDS '06, Lawrenceville School '10, Stanford University '14

“Without New Jersey SEEDS, I would not have gone to a private high school, and I don’t think I would have thought of applying to, let alone get into, Stanford. I am truly appreciative of the guiding force SEEDS has been for my family. Thank you, SEEDS – for the family, the love, the laughs, and most of all, the opportunity. SEEDS has propelled me – and my family – to bigger and greater things. For that, I am forever grateful.”

Devika Patel

SEEDS '08, Montclair Kimberley Academy '12, Stanford University '16, MS Stanford University '17

“Unfortunately, it isn’t every day that a Newark housekeeper’s daughter will graduate from one of the top colleges in the country. SEEDS gave me so much more than an acceptance letter. They helped me gain knowledge, confidence and exposure to different cultures. I was delighted to be accepted as a SEEDS Scholar, thrilled to become a SEEDS alumna and am now proud to be a SEEDS donor.”

Odette Rodrigues

SEEDS '01, Newark Academy '05, Harvard University '09

“I knew that SEEDS would not only help me get accepted into an independent school, but it would also help mold me into a gifted student with the knowledge and skills necessary to excel in such a school. I desperately wanted to be involved in the stimulating and highly academic discussions that occurred daily at an independent school. I wanted to benefit from an environment where motivated students pushed each other to be better. SEEDS was the beginning of my long and exciting journey towards a brighter future. It was the first place where I was allowed to dream as big as my imagination would allow and encouraged to go out into the world and do everything I can to make those dreams a reality. NJ SEEDS definitely changed my life.”

Claudia Torres

SEEDS '11, Kent Place School '15, Yale University '19

“New Jersey SEEDS offered something that I knew would benefit me. Before SEEDS, I didn’t know much about college or all that went into the college admissions process. I’ve learned a lot about that. SEEDS has been extremely helpful in equipping me with knowledge and skills, ensuring that as a first-generation college student, I will be successful.”

Justen George

SEEDS '19, Union College '23

“SEEDS impacted my life in ways I cannot even begin to describe. It helped guide a young girl with academic potential, who could easily have gotten lost in her local school, toward her dreams. It took a girl with limited resources and gave her the tools she needed to accomplish whatever she wants in this life. SEEDS helped provide me with the confidence, the courage, the determination and the perseverance to know that I could tackle any obstacle that comes my way.”

Daisy Munoz

SEEDS '94, Montclair Kimberley Academy '98, Columbia University '02, M.D. University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey '09

“Thank you, SEEDS, for helping the daughter of a taxi driver and a factory worker, the granddaughter of migrant workers and peasant farmers, become an Ivy League-educated attorney.”

Esther Clovis

SEEDS '04, Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child '08, Princeton University '12, JD University of Pennsylvania School of Law '17

“In thinking about people and programs that were pivotal to my own career path, I kept coming back to SEEDS as the most influential. It put me on a very different track than I was previously on, and it enabled me to ultimately have a greater impact on the world than I otherwise might have had. I believe SEEDS alumni, both present and future, will continue to have a lasting influence on the world we live in.”

Soleio Cuervo

SEEDS '95, St. Andrew's School '99, Duke University '03

“SEEDS taught me to lead by example. They taught me to never feel ashamed of my economic status. They showed me that I could be just as successful as someone born with the advantages that I was born without. That first step into NJ SEEDS began my journey of a thousand miles.”

Danny Chang

SEEDS '08 , Dwight-Englewood School '12, Johns Hopkins University '16, MS Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health '17, MD University of Maryland School of Medicine '22

“My parents could not afford to buy me ACT prep books or pay for a pre-college program. However, through the generosity of SEEDS, the impossible has been made possible for me. Hard work truly does pay off; it brought me to NJ SEEDS and led me to where I am today.”

Joselyn Jaramillo

SEEDS '17, Bates College '21