The Project Fairness scholarships are awarded annually to current and former foster youth who are pursuing higher education. The winners receive financial support to participate in an educational program, and mentoring to help them achieve their academic and professional goals.
The 2025 Project Fairness scholars were selected from a large and competitive pool of applicants, and distinguished themselves for their leadership, resilience and commitment to helping others.
Cheyanne Deopersaud
Cheyanne Deopersaud is pursuing a Master of Public Administration at NYU Wagner, focusing on management and leadership. She graduated with a bachelors from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, majoring in Human Services and Community Justice with a minor in Sociology.
Drawing on her own experience in the foster care system, Cheyanne has become a leading youth advocate in New York City, spearheading policy initiatives to improve housing and opportunities for young people aging out of care. She has organized citywide forums, authored major reports on supportive housing, and continues to center the voices of impacted youth in her work. In her free time, Cheyanne loves exploring the city, reading, playing music, and finding creative ways to stay connected to the communities she serves. She aims to become a city council member or possibly the commissioner of ACS.
Danielle Lubitz
Danielle Lubitz is a student at Colorado State University, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Interior Architecture and Design with a concentration in Interior Architecture. As a young child Danielle and her siblings were raised by her single mother until a tragic car accident ended her life far too soon. This accident would shape Danielle’s life in ways she could never imagine. Long before Danielle was born, her mother had studied Architecture and Design in college. Today Danielle honors the memory of her mom and through her pursuit of her education and career in architecture and design.
In her free time Danielle enjoys cooking and baking for her loved ones. She is inspired both in her education and personal life by her world travels. As she approaches the end of her education at CSU, Danielle hopes to transition into the design industry with a focus on health care and accessibility. Through her career, Danielle hopes to inspire younger generations to persevere in the face of adversity and to always follow their passions.
Kelsie Minaya
Kelsie Minaya is a student at Bronx Community College pursuing a degree in Nuclear Medicine Technology. She currently works as an Emergency Medical Technician.
Kelsie is a dedicated youth advocate and has served as a program manager with a focus on housing, social services, and civic engagement. She has contributed to initiatives across New York City through roles with the Center for Fair Futures, NYC Department of Youth & Community Development, The Door Bronx Youth Center and Policy Studies Associates, where she has used her lived experience to improve the connections between big organizations and foster youth. Passionate about empowering underserved communities, Kelsie merges research, outreach and program management to amplify youth voices and drive systemic change. In her free time, Kelsie loves to design tattoos, go to museums, and work with small non-profits such as Project Beauty Experience; where she dedicates her time to planning events for young girls in the Uptown area.
Trevor Rouse
Trevor Rouse is a freshman at Borough of Manhattan Community College, majoring in biology with the intention of applying to medical school and becoming a physician. When they have time, they enjoy reading, primarily nonfiction books.
As a survivor of human trafficking and later entering the foster care system, Trevor gained firsthand insight into how bias can compromise the quality of medical care provided to patients from disadvantaged backgrounds. Trevor plans on working towards increasing access to medical care for those that may be unable to otherwise receive it. They also seek to raise awareness of the biases certain patients may face in medical environments.
El-Hassn Salem
El-Hassn Salem is a senior at Utica College majoring in cybersecurity and an IT intern at the real estate firm Fisher Brothers in New York City. He holds CompTIA A+ and Security+ certifications and is focused on defensive cybersecurity, including network security and threat monitoring.
El-Hassn is building a portfolio of cybersecurity and IT help desk projects to prepare for a career in cybersecurity operations. His goal is to help organizations strengthen their defenses against evolving cyber threats. In his free time, he enjoys ice skating, rock climbing, and exploring new technologies.
Selection process
Project Fairness awarded its scholarships through a detailed evaluation process conducted with a panel of advisors with experience with the foster care and/or higher education system.
All applications are evaluated by the Project Fairness board, whose members scored the applications individually and selected finalists based on assessment averages and consensus voting. The finalists’ applications were then scored by the advisory panel, and each finalist was interviewed by members of the Project Fairness board. Winners were selected on the basis of the top average scores from advisors and Project Fairness board members, combined and weighted equally, as well as to finalists who distinguished themselves during the interview process.
