SAGE Awards Scholarships to CSUN Students

The Tseng College congratulates gerontology students Joanne Cecilio and Ragini Kaur for scholarships awarded by SAGE, a learning-in-retirement group connected to the Tseng College. SAGE presented the scholarships at a  gathering, May 10, that featured CSUN President Dianne F. Harrison as keynote speaker. Members of SAGE and professors, administrators and graduates of CSUN crowded into a ballroom at the Airtel Plaza Hotel in Van Nuys for the event.

The two students from CSUN's College of Health and Human Development received $500 each to help further their studies in gerontology. "I am a big believer in lifelong learning," said CSUN president Dianne F. Harrison. "It keeps us fresh and interested in things. We do need to keep exercising our brains."

Joanne Cecilio and Ragini Kaur each received a $500 Sonja Marchand Scholarship in Gerontology, named after a former Tseng College administrator who helped launch SAGE at CSUN more than 25 years ago. SAGE, an acronym for Study, Activity, Growth, Enrichment, organizes study groups, forums with speakers, and education adventures for retired people.

"We award scholarships to outstanding students at CSUN, and this is a true pleasure for us," said Jeanne Polak-Recht, SAGE president. SAGE also contributes to CSUN's Oviatt Library and administered a "Computers for Seniors" program at CSUN for many years.

"I want to continue collaborating with health care professionals to create healthy and better lives for seniors," said scholarship recipient Joanne Cecilio. Ragini Kaur works as a licensed vocational nurse helping elderly people and also expressed her appreciation. "I love every day of my life working with seniors, and I plan to be a patient advocate for seniors," she said.

Check out photos of the event on the Tseng College Facebook page.