Meet Beth El’s Latest Tzedek Scholarship Recipient

Deniz Ceviz Cheney is the 2023 recipient of a scholarship from the Beth El Tzedek Scholarship Fund, which provides financial support to deserving first-generation immigrant students at Framingham State University who demonstrate financial need and academic promise and who have completed at least one semester at FSU.

Deniz comes from Istanbul, where she studied archeology and worked to promote educational opportunities for young girls. Since leaving Turkey, she’s volunteered with social service agencies in Romania and in Roxbury, Mass. helping children with disabilities. Now a full-time student at FSU, Deniz is studying nursing and hopes to pursue a career as a travel nurse.

“I cannot express enough how being chosen for the Beth El Tzedek Scholarship Fund is fundamentally changing my life and enabling me to pursue my lifelong dream of becoming a travel nurse,” she says. “As a part of preparing to apply and attend nursing school, I have a very intense schedule consisting of classes, certificate programs, and of course schoolwork. This schedule so far has been manageable, but the challenge is that the more I progress academically and the closer I come to fulfilling my educational goals, I have to commit more time to academics and less time to [paying] work. This unfortunately is the story of many students pursing their dreams.

“However, thanks to the Beth El Tzedek Scholarship Fund, I have the privilege of worrying a little less about making ends meet and instead focusing more on academics during my time here at Framingham State University.”

We are proud to welcome Deniz as our ninth scholarship recipient. You can help us continue to help other immigrant students pursue their dreams by contributing to the Beth El Tzedek Scholarship Fund. Go the our Donate page and select that fund from the dropdown menu.