Three WTC Workers from City Tech Receive Scholarships

When the jet hit Tower 2 last year, New York City College of Technology student Sam Colon was working for AON Consulting as a document control clerk on the building’s 92nd floor. He managed to escape from the building with, as it turned out, ten minutes to spare.

Recent City Tech scholarship winner Sam Colon, right, with his department chair Elliot Colchamiro. Photo, Michele Forsten.

Now Colon and two other City Tech students with jobs at the World Trade Center have been awarded full-tuition scholarships, thanks to the generosity of Urban Science, a global strategic consulting firm headquartered in Detroit.

The other two students, both Brooklynites, are Marie Fisher and Junior Soverall. Fisher, a single mother, worked on the 92nd floor of Tower 2 as well. On the tragic morning, Soverall decided to stop for a cup of coffee on the WTC plaza. He saw the first plane hit and ran for his life.

The scholarships came about because Urban Science President Jim Anderson wanted to help students who were directly affected by 9/11, rather than contribute to a more general fund. A former Wayne State University professor of civil engineering, Anderson recalled that a former Wayne State dean, Fred Beaufait, is now president at City Tech. He called Beaufait to offer his gift, and, with the help of Professor Elliot Colchamiro,

chair of the College’s Construction Management Technology program, the three WTC workers were identified.

Colon, a Bay Ridge resident whose family is from Puerto Rico, lost many co- workers at AON. After gaining a Bachelor’s in business administration from St. Francis College, the married father of two had been pursuing an associate’s degree in Construction Management Technology. The scholarship has proved a degree-saver. “My wife is also in college and, with two kids, I wouldn’t be able to enroll, even part- time, without this help.”

Colon has written to Anderson, saying, “I still find it hard to believe that people, like yourself, who are far away can be deeply touched by the tragic events that took place on September 11 to the extent that they are willing to sponsor students to continue their education.”