Their journeys to graduation all began in Haiti, but followed different timelines. Some arrived in Uniondale during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years, while others enrolled last September. Now, seven Uniondale High School graduates have been awarded $250 scholarships by The Gift of Writing Foundation in recognition of their academic achievement, community service and perseverance.
The scholarships were presented at the school’s multilingual awards ceremony on June 13, to Saika Doneval, Lucka Dornevils, Keana Jean, Melicia Joseph, Brithney Metayer, Faola Mystal and Leatchalynn Osias.
Jean and Metayer came to the district this past academic school year, while Doneval, Joseph and Mystal arrived in Uniondale last year. Dornevils and Osias have been here since 2023-24.
Founded in 2013 by Frantz Dorsainvil, assistant principal at Northern Parkway Elementary School, The Gift of Writing Foundation awards scholarships annually to help make higher education more attainable for graduating seniors. The awards are funded by the nonprofit’s annual gala and community donations.
“It’s an effort to really continue to support the educational journey,” Dorsainvil said. “This year we gave seven scholarships worth $250 just to really support whether it’s books or whatever they may need.”
Windie Auguste, a 2000 Uniondale High alumna who is now an English as a New Language teacher at the school and the adviser of the Haitian Student Association, said the students quickly adapted to a new country and school system.
“These girls just got here to the country two years ago,” Auguste said. “They had to learn the language, [but] they had to meet all the high school graduation requirements, which they did, and they all graduated.”
Auguste said that many of the students came to Uniondale already accustomed to learning multiple languages. In Haiti, students typically receive instruction in French while speaking Haitian Creole at home, a foundation that helped many adapt more quickly to learning English.
“Growing up in Haiti, you had to learn two languages at once,” she said. “Creole was what you spoke at home and on the street. Learning another language came fairly easy to them. They did it, and I’m very proud.”
Beyond academics, Auguste said, building the students’ confidence was equally important. She regularly monitored their grades, encouraged them to stay focused and connected them with mentors who shared similar experiences.
“I wanted them to succeed and make sure that they knew that somebody was in their corner,” she said.
Throughout the school year, Auguste invited Dorsainvil to speak with students about his own journey after he emigrated from Haiti as a teenager, hoping his story would motivate them to pursue higher education.
Scholarship applicants were required to write an essay describing their dreams and aspirations for Haiti, how education has influenced their career goals and how they plan to give back to both Haiti and the Haitian community in the United States. They also had to demonstrate a commitment to community service.
“We don’t just give the scholarship away,” Dorsainvil said. “You have to show some community service as well.”
Many of the recipients volunteered to take part in cultural dance performances at community events including the foundation’s gala, in March, and several earned the New York State Seal of Biliteracy, demonstrating proficiency in two languages.
Auguste said the distinction allows many students to satisfy college language requirements before they arrive on campus, and some have earned college credits through the program.
She added that the foundation’s impact extends beyond the scholarships. Many recipients return to Uniondale to mentor younger students, volunteer at foundation events and share their experiences with the next generation. And some return to Haiti.
“Even if they don’t go back home, they come and pay it forward,” Auguste said.
As this year’s scholarship recipients prepare to begin college, Dorsainvil said he hoped they would remember the advice he shared with them before graduation, and that they would volunteer in his organization to help its cause.
“It’s not an easy path to success, [but] as long as they hold on and keep working, they’re going to find people who want to support them.” he said. “You’re going to get bumps on the road, and you just got to get up, shake yourself up and keep going. No excuses.”
