Friends of the Library Award Two Scholarships

The Friends of the Library do a lot more then just help buy books and provide great programming. The group also takes education very seriously, and this year is no exception.

The Friends recently awarded two $500 scholarships to local graduates Ameema Zubairi and Neil Bhide of the Class of 2013 during a ceremony at the East Brunswick High School. The award comes after years of dedication and volunteerism in the library’s Youth Services Department.

Friends President Anita Varshney said this year’s selection process was one of the most difficult in years, and the outstanding candidates forced the group to do something it doesn’t normally do--award two scholarships.

“We usually only award one scholarship each year, but the two candidates were both so superior that the committee couldn’t decide, so the board awarded two,” said Varshney.

Neil has been a volunteer at the library for four years and spent more than 400 hours helping with the Friends Book and Media sale, the Friends Yard Sale, the Teen Buddies program, Summer Reading Club and Baking and Books.

“I think the one reason why I started volunteering was because my mom taught me about giving back to my community and helping out,” said Neil.

“However, I learned that working with little kids as their math buddy was rewarding. I learned how to become patient and I learned how to manage my time. Most of all, I really enjoyed just seeing children succeed and grow as students.”

Neill will attend the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign in the fall, majoring in Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Ameema’s reasons for volunteering mirror Neil’s, she too wanted to give something back. Ameema has been a volunteer with the Library since she was in eighth grade, and during that time she’s worked with the Summer Reading Club, Teen Buddies Program and the Teen Library Connection.

“Participating in a variety of activities helped me give back to a place that I loved to come as a child and still cherish today,” said.

One of the more rewarding experiences for her was working with the Teen Buddy Program, where she mentored students in math and reading

“This particular program was a great way to interact with kids and to gain organization skills and responsibility,” she said. “It was important to plan your meetings before hand and to really get to know the strengths and weaknesses of your buddy in order to help them to the best of your abilities. One of the most important things about this program was to bring fun and encouragement into your sessions so that the buddies did not feel like they were being bombarded with boring work, but rather being inspired to excel in reading and math.”

Ameema also played an integral in the Teen Library Connection Program, eventually becoming its Assistant Coordinator and now, its Head Coordinator for the summer.

“Volunteering at the East Brunswick Public Library has undoubtedly brought me closer to the East Brunswick Community, but even more, it has become the ground from which I have personally developed and grown,” she said.

Ameema will attend Rutgers University and is enrolled in the Arts and Sciences Honors Program. She plans to major in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, with a minor in Mathematics.

The Friends scholarships are made possible with your membership dues.