The North Jersey Special Education Administrators Association (NJSEAA) proudly sponsors the annual Stephen Gold Scholarship.
Stephen Gold, known to many as "Mr. Pascack Valley High School", died shortly before beginning his college career at Ramapo College in 1998. A hard working student, he became involved in many co-curricular activities including becoming the business manager of the yearbook senior year. He did all of these activities while using a wheelchair due to Muscular Dystrophy. However, this never defined Stephen. In the Spring of his senior year, he attended Ramapo College as a part-time student. Stephen was never able to attend as a full time student, as he died the weekend before classes were to begin.
The recipients of the Stephen Gold Scholarship exemplify the 'can do' forward thinking attitude that Stephen exuded, including:
- Motivation to succeed academically;
- Participation in school and extracurricular activities;
- Community Service including volunteering;
- Employment experiences;
- Self Directed; and
- Leadership skills.
NJSEAA Members may sponsor graduating high school students who are classified as eligible for special education services, and who are pursuing any programming after graduation.
There are two different Scholarship applications:
1. The Post-Secondary Scholarship may be used for any aspect of a post-secondary program, including 2 or 4-year colleges, technical/trade schools, business schools, fine art institutes or other recognized post secondary institutions.
2. The Community-Based/Life Skills Scholarship may be used for programming costs which may include transportation, adult programs, self-help equipment, etc.
The Applications for the 2025 Scholarships are below, with directions and a
Parent consent form.
The due date is April 11, 2025 by 3:30pm.
2025 Stephen Gold Post-Secondary Scholarship Application
2025 Stephen Gold Community-Based Opportunities/Life Skills Scholarship Application
NJSEAA Scholarship Instructions
NJSEAA Scholarship Parent Consent