Monsignor Edward Pace High School (Pace) senior Tajmara Antoine has been named the recipient of New York University’s (NYU) prestigious AnBryce Scholarship and will begin attending the university this fall.
In a story of triumph after overcoming obstacles, the now 17-year-old was born in Brooklyn, New York. Shortly after her birth, her parents made the decision to move back to their homeland of Haiti. It is there where she attended Catholic school. She was raised speaking both Creole and French until she was 9.
While always excelling in both academics and fine arts, Antoine's fate changed on Tuesday, January 12, 2010, when the family was impacted by the notable earthquake that devastated the island nation.
A portion of the family’s home was completely destroyed, and for a week they lived in a makeshift tent made by her father in a nearby field.
Antoine, along with her mother, her older brother and 3 month old baby sister, took the journey to the United States aboard military planes and landed in Miami where they lived with her godmother.
Some time later, the family was offered a helping hand by the priests and nuns at Saint Mary's Cathedral in Miami and were given uniforms, books and tuition assistance to attend Saint Mary's Cathedral School in Miami.
During this time, Antoine’s parents would alternate their time between Miami and Haiti in 6 month increments in order to care for the children as they did not yet have their official U.S. residency.
It was not until Antoine was in the eighth grade that her parents were finally granted residency and were able to proudly see their daughter graduate as the valedictorian of her class. Tajmara went on to Curley Notre Dame High School for three years and was continuing to excel academically before transferring to Pace at the beginning of the 2017-2018 school year following Curley’s closure.
As a Pace Spartan, Antoine has been an active member in volleyball, track and soccer teams. She has also participated in drama and choir. Antoine and her brother Eudens will be the first in their family to attend college. When the time came to submit college applications, Antoine applied to numerous universities throughout the country including seven out of the eight Ivy League schools.
In March, she received a letter stating that she was among the top 30 of 20,000 applicants who had applied to NYU who were being considered for the AnBryce Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded to academically-motivated students who demonstrate financial need and, who like Antoine, are the first generation in their family to attend college.
After a series of three interviews she was awarded with a full academic scholarship for her four years of undergraduate study at NYU. She has decided to pursue a double major in English and Business Management and she is excited to explore the vast opportunities that await her as she begins her college experience in New York’s “Big apple” this Fall.