Member Stories

Despite Partial Blindness, Union Plus Scholarship Winner Clearly Sees a Bright Future

December 27, 2016

A rare form of cancer may have robbed Brigid McDonald's newborn of half her eyesight, but it did nothing to diminish her daughter's vision for a bright future.

Caeli, admitted to the University of Rochester (the college of her choice), has already done the work to get accepted, and Union Plus has helped her with one of the other hard parts: paying for it.

Union Plus Scholarships help make higher education more affordable to union members and their families. The cash awards, ranging from $500 to $4,000, are granted to recipients based on academic achievement and potential, character, leadership, social awareness, career goals and financial need. The deadline to apply for a 2017 Union Plus Scholarship is January 31, 2017.

SEIU daughter growing up with vision loss

Few students could be more deserving than Caeli Quiter, 19, daughter of McDonald, a member of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 326. From an early age, Caeli proved she was a fighter. After all, she was only about eight weeks old when it was discovered that she had bilateral retinoblastoma, cancer of both eyes. It was a diagnosis that required radiation and chemotherapy -- treatment that, ultimately, claimed the vision in her left eye.

A lack of balance, as a result of her vision loss, made it difficult for Caeli to perform motor skills at the same age as her peers. However, from an early age, it was apparent that Caeli's life was not about meeting milestones; it was about surpassing them. She read books at the age of three, won community service awards in grade school and was a professional musician in high school, playing five instruments. Not only did she achieve this list of accomplishments, but she also earned stellar grades while doing so.

"Having partial vision has not set me back; it has only pushed me forward," said Caeli.

College debt...even with scholarships 

Thanks to her good grades and leadership skills, Caeli received a full academic scholarship to the University of Rochester, where she plans to earn a degree in biomedical engineering. While the financial assistance from the school is significant, Caeli's family still wrestles with the cost of room and board, books and other necessary expenses.

"Even with Caeli's scholarship, we still need to pay about $16,000 a year," explains Brigid, a single mom who supervises counselors at a New York State corrections facility. "We do everything we can to pay as much as we can, but it's difficult. Caeli works and saves every penny she can. But no matter what, it's hard to avoid debt."

Fortunately, Brigid discovered the Union Plus Scholarship through an email from Union Plus.

College help for union families

Union Plus recognizes that higher education is important to working families and a key to improved financial security. That's why Union Plus provides $150,000 in scholarships annually to retired or active members who belong to a union participating in any of the Union Plus programs. Spouses and dependent children (as defined by the IRS) are also eligible. For more information about eligibility and how to apply, or click here to learn more about the Union Plus Scholarship >>