On Saturday, April 18, two daughters of CWA 1037 members received academic scholarships provided by the Bergen County Central Trades and Labor Council’s.
Jocelyn Lovins, daughter of Local 1037 member Yesenia Barreto, and Isabella Bentancur, daughter of two CWA members, Wanda and Pablo Bentancur, each received $1,000 Abe Solomon Scholarships for the 2026-2027 school year.
Jocelyn will begin school at Fairfield University in the Fall, planning to study mechanical engineering. She played the libero and center positions on her high school’s volleyball team, and hopes to play for fun in college.
Jocelyn joined her mother, who works at the Passaic County Board of Social Services, in picketing for a fair contract three years ago. “That left a huge impression on me. The streets were filled with workers and families standing together, demanding respect, fair wages, and a contract that had been delayed far too long.”
She hopes to harness the power of Union solidarity in her future profession. “I know going in that mechanical engineering is a male-dominated field, so I’m going to carry the lessons of advocacy and representation I’ve learned watching my mom’s Union.”
Isabella Bentancur is a rising Junior at the Rutgers School of Nursing, Honors Program, which only accepts 10 students each year. She has always been interested in medicine and family care, hoping to work in a Neonatal intensive care unit one day as a Labor and Delivery nurse.
Her parents both work at the Motor Vehicle Commission, where they are represented by Local 1037. “I’ve grown up witnessing advocacy, and that’s why I’m pursuing nursing. I want to be the nurse who makes sure each mother feels safe, respected, and confident that her voice matters.”
She paid attention to the recent New York State Nurses Association’s strike for better conditions, which lasted 41 days and secured major wins in wage increases and better nurse-to-patient staffing ratios.
Isabella has two younger siblings, a brother and a sister, and is currently reading The Empyrean book series, a popular romance-fantasy saga. She ran on her High School’s track team and hopes to one day run the Disney Princess Half Marathon at Disney World. Her favorite Disney Princess is Tiana, from The Princess and the Frog.
Wanda, Isabella’s mother, and Yesenia, Jocelyn’s mother, found out about the scholarship opportunities from their CWA Local 1037 Staff Reps, who have been bringing flyers about member benefits to every worksite meeting throughout the year. Both were extremely proud of their daughters, snapping photos as they received commendations from elected officials at the County, State, and Federal levels, and shook hands with the members of the Bergen County Central Trades and Labor Council.
Abe Solomon was a pioneering labor leader who helped shape the labor movement in Bergen County, helping to merge the AFL and CIO in 1968, and serve on numerous civic and charitable organizations. After his death in 1976, the Bergen County Central Trades and Labor Council created the scholarship fund to honor his life of leadership and service to working people.
Every year, CWA members who are attending university, college, and trade or technical school may be eligible to apply for scholarships offered by our partners in the Labor Movement. CWA Local 1037 is proud to offer our own scholarships in honor of former President Michael J. Hopkins, open through May 15. Future scholarships and other member benefits will be posted here.