Rigers Qeraj
Myself Third Engineering 2007 Scholarship Winner
Grover Cleveland High School
LaGuardia Community College
"I can honestly state that in years to come when I think back about the legions of students I have taught – Rigers Qeraj will be among the luminaries that will stand out.
Rigers is an exceptional young man – intellectually gifted, morally grounded and endowed with grace, charm and warmth. He has used these qualities not to be arrogant, pompous or self-centered, as happens in many cases, but instead he has matured into a serious student who delights in being intellectually challenged: a young man of moral rectitude who is compassionate and objective. A testament to his emotional and social maturity is the fact that Rigers maintains a balanced schedule and is at ease in keeping equilibrium between academics, sports and social life."
—Carmine Pulera, Foreign Language Teacher
Work, Volunteer, and Extra-Curricular Activities
- Member, Key Club
- Member, ARISTA National Honor Society
- Athlete, Varsity Men's Volleyball Team
Excerpts from Rigers's Essay
Needless to say, when my family and I had the opportunity to come to the United States (from Albania) we were overjoyed. The "equality under the law" that Americans enjoy is a tremendous plus in this country. This system makes you want to work harder because you have the same opportunities as others. As a student at Grover Cleveland, I volunteer and participate in the Arista and Key Club. Arista is an organization with academic goals. Key Club on the other hand has as its goal to encourage and train its members to be useful citizens and uphold the values and ideals of the United States. Albania did not have school organizations that encourage such selfless ideals and values. I don't think I would be as mature today if I did not "sacrifice" a little myself in order to help others. The Key Club experience helped me to see people as individuals and not just as a group of people. The Key Club experience also taught me…to understand different people better and to see it is not impossible, in fact it is very possible to respect each other, get along and learn from each other.
