Meet Our Scholars

Farhad Begaliev has always thought of a vehicle as much more than a mode of transportation. Growing up, he watched his grandfather and uncle fix the family’s one car that was in continuous need of repair. He saw how this mechanical skill could help not only his family, but also neighbors and friends in need. Now, as a 2024 graduate of Alfred State with a degree in Automotive Service Technology, Farhad is looking to do the same.

Farhad credits Alfred State and the Lee Scholarship as helping him find his vocation and making his educational journey financially possible. “I never thought I would go to college after struggling in high school” he said, “I found a program that I really loved with instructors and classmates that care about my success.” He is currently working at a car dealership in Central New York—a position he found through one of his instructors—and applying his skill to increasingly complex vehicle problems.    

When thinking about the future, Farhad said that his plan is to one day open his own automotive shop to “assist people in the community and gain a reputation as someone who can fix anything.” In the true spirt of a Lee Scholar, his goal is to take his mechanical knowledge and “hand it down to someone else, just like how my instructors passed it to me.”  

“I am fascinated by the little universe we cannot see inside of everything that keeps the world together.” That is how Finley Donachie, Lee Scholar and 2024 RPI graduate, describes his enthusiasm about the materials engineering field.

Finley’s interest in the nano-world, particularly the thin film technologies that are ubiquitous in computer hardware, was a constant facet of his undergraduate work and a driving force behind his career ambitions. He describes how cutting-edge thin film research is fundamentally changing the field of technology and testing the limits of materials. “Concepts we believe in for hundreds of years are turning out to be false” he said of recent scientific breakthroughs, “I hope to make that game changing discovery that challenges conventional thinking.”  In California later this year, he will have the opportunity to do just that.

Finley begins a PhD program at the prestigious California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Materials Science this fall. He was awarded the highly competitive National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, an honor reserved for the nation’s most promising research focused graduate students. With this support Finley will be furthering his research into thin films, using some of the most advanced techniques and machines anywhere in the country. “Some people are fearful or skeptical about the future of technology” he said, “I want to make the world a better place through technology.”  

For Lee Scholar Enrique Cardoso-Najera, the dream of becoming a professional engineer blossomed while earning an associate degree at SUNY Orange. “Going to community college was one of the best decisions I ever made” he said, “I had great mentors who helped build my understanding of engineering and taught me that I could do anything and go anywhere.” 

Now a senior at Rochester Institute of Technology studying Civil Engineering Technology and Business, Enrigue’s goal is to merge a career in aviation design with his interests in enterprise management. “The Lee scholarship is making it possible for me to pursue the business and entrepreneurial aspects of engineering” he said, “to work both on the technical components of a project and with people and clients.” Once he graduates, Enrique hopes to help the next generation of Lee Scholars uncover their professional passion. “Giving back is the best way that I can pay it forward” he said, “by supporting a network to help future students that are where I am right now.”      

Kay Wilkoff’s life defies categorization. She is a Lee Scholar, who has been a foster parent to over 25 children. A veteran social worker who went back to school and graduated with a 4.0 in a STEM field. The former president of Monroe Community College’s (MCC) Optics Club and a busy working mother. “The scholarship created a big green light over my future,” said Kay of becoming a Lee Scholar.

“The Lee Foundation’s scholarship is the thread of hope that empowered my educational journey and stabilized my family environment allowing me to continue fostering,” she said. The scholarship enabled Kay to provide her adopted daughter, Erica, family support at a critical time.  

After graduating in 2023, Kay accepted a position as Sales Account Manager at Sydor Optics, bought a house, and is helping Erica navigate the college enrollment process. Kay attributes these life-changing developments to a “ripple effect that began with the Lee Foundation’s gift.”

 It’s hard to imagine a student more determined than Anthony. When he graduates from Monroe Community College in July, it will be with a second two-year degree. He was 25 when he began work on his first, in automotive industries technology, which led to four years as a maintenance technician with Toyota. But his “lifelong dream” was to be an engineer. So, with the support of his wife, Anthony left his job to pursue that dream full time.

Thanks to his Lee Foundation scholarship, Anthony says, “I can breathe. It allows me to focus on school with a clear head – without the financial burden – and get the best grades possible. I am profoundly grateful.” And it’s especially welcome since he and his wife had a baby girl in March.

Anthony’s next step will take him to RIT to complete his bachelor’s degree. As for his eventual career, he’s open to new possibilities. “Automotive is my first love,” he says, “but the more I learn about electrical engineering and what can be done … there are lots of things I’m interested in.”

Bethany, a self-described nontraditional student earned her A.A.S. degree in SUNY Erie’s occupational therapy assistant program in 2020. Bethany returned to school after taking time at home to raise her two young daughters. With her return to the workforce, Bethany wanted to use her problem solving skills and work directly with people to impact their lives for the better. Occupational therapy seemed to be a perfect fit.

Bethany said, “the Lee scholarship was a tremendous help to me and my family because it allowed me to embark on my new career without financial stress.” She was particularly impressed that the Foundation’s programs supported students at community colleges who were entering the helping professions. The scholarship allowed Bethany to focus on her career opportunities and alleviated the burden of student loans.  

Karla, who was already the mother of a toddler, had a second child during her first semester of graduate school. “I pretty much left class, had the baby and was back in class the next week,” she recalls. Despite juggling motherhood and a part-time job, Karla graduated with a master’s degree in nursing, marking the culmination of a six-year journey toward a career as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner.

Karla had always been interested in how deficiencies in the brain affect people’s behavior and she knew laboratory research was not for her.  Instead, she chose to become a psychiatric nurse practitioner so she could have a more immediate and direct impact. For Karla, the Lee Scholarship was “a blessing” that provided freedom and less anxiety – knowing that she would not be burdened by student loans.

In 2014, Parry earned a B.S. degree in aerospace engineering from St. Louis University and “will be forever indebted and forever grateful to Patrick Lee for that.”

Like many who grow up on military bases, Parry acquired a passion for air­planes. What sets him apart is that he also developed a desire to give back to our country. Rather than flying, Parry “really wanted to be on the aircraft design and test side of things,” he explained. “I wanted to have an impact on our nation’s defense.” He was able to fulfill that dream when he joined Boeing’s TX Flight Test Program.

Mentoring other students and networking with other Lee Scholars has kept Parry connected to the Foundation. Parry shared, “I’ll always want to give back to St. Louis University and pay forward what the Lee Foundation has given to me.”

“Astronomical!” That was how Ashley described the impact of the Lee scholarship on her life. “I was very lucky. Tuition had gone up every year, and prior to the scholarship I was working multiple jobs. The scholarship was a great relief.”

Ashley’s career aspirations were also “astronomical.” After graduating from RIT in 2019, she accepted a job at SpaceX in Florida.  The year before Ashley interned with the company in California and gained valuable hands-on experience as part of the team working on the Falcon and Dragon. In her current job as a Build Reliability Engineer at the launch site, she has continued her work on this exciting project.

On May 30, 2020, Ashely proudly watched SpaceX launch its first-ever crewed mission, which sent two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station. When asked about the launch, Ashley said, “It was absolutely phenomenal!”