Kristen O'Leary

Kristen O'Leary, daughter of Brian O'Leary, a member of New York 1H, has been selected to receive a 2002 Union Plus Scholarship award. O'Leary, a widely heralded star athlete who maintained a 4.0 grade point average, will receive $2,000.

Her scholarship was among $150,000 awarded in 2002 to 101 students representing 32 AFL-CIO unions.

O'Leary, a National Merit scholar and honor roll student, played soccer, softball and basketball. She is planning to attend the University of California at Berkeley in the fall.

O'Leary is recognized for her diverse interests. She captained numerous teams, received scholar athlete awards, including selection to the Nassau County All-Division basketball team. She also served as a band member, worked on the yearbook staff, and appeared as a member of the school team on the television challenge program "It's Academic."

She was president of student council, her school's representative at a tolerance exchange program, and was selected as an activist's honoree by the Political Organization of Women.

O'Leary, who plans on studying psychology, wrote about the 1990 New York Daily News strike and how it impacted on her.

At that time, she wrote that "most of the complex motivation behind the strike escaped me. I grasped the more important concepts: the importance of standing up for your rights when another is trying to trample them and the vital role the union played in this fight. . . . I am a strong believer in unions, individual liberties, and fighting to maintain justice."

Elizabeth Walter, O'Leary's Advanced Placement English teacher, speaks to this spirit of joining and unity in describing O'Leary's relationship with her peers. She tells of how even a star athlete can look beyond personal gain. Says Walter: "She is mature and has a great rapport with the younger athletes on all of the athletic teams to which she belongs. Her enthusiasm combined with her maturity enable her to be a successful athlete while putting her sports into perspective with her extremely challenging academic and extra-curricular schedule. She is an outstanding role model."

O'Leary relates such attributes back to her family and the unions: "I know that my parents and events such as the strike have drastically shaped my values. Whether it be challenging the administration on an unfair policy change, buying lunch for my friend who is short of money this week, or checking the tag on my clothing to make sure it is made in the United States before I buy, the struggle I watched my father and his union go through has deeply impacted me and changed the way I see people and the world."

How the scholarship program works

In addition to demonstrated academic ability, applicants submitted essays of no more than 500 words describing their career goals, detailing their relationship with the labor movement, and explaining why they are deserving of a union scholarship.

The program is open to members, their spouses and dependent children, of unions that are participating in any Union Plus program. Individuals must be accepted into an accredited college or university, community college or recognized technical or trade school at the time the award is issued. Members do not have to purchase any Union Plus program product or participate in any Union Plus program to apply.

The program is funded and administered by Union Plus and Household Credit Services, the provider of the union-endorsed Union Plus Credit Card.

2003 applications