The students were chosen through a highly competitive selection process that required applicants to submit academic transcripts, a teacher recommendation, and an essay explaining the significance of STEM in their lives and career goals.

Mila Varela experienced a spacecraft tumble in the multi-axis trainer at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala., made possible by a scholarship from the Scholarship Fund for Inner-City Children.
During the weeklong program, students participated in advanced educational and team-building activities, including building and launching rockets, piloting jet aircraft simulators, and completing an extended-duration Mars mission simulation. They also experienced a moonwalk in a 1/6th gravity chair and endured the spinning forces of a multi-axis trainer.

Annalise De Leon participated in a mission simulation at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala., made possible by a scholarship from the Scholarship Fund for Inner-City Children.
This year’s SFIC Space Academy scholarship recipients were:
- Jadyra Amaya-Garcia, Hudson Catholic Regional High School in Jersey City
- Annalise De Leon, Hudson Catholic Regional High School in Jersey City
- Alejandro Diaz, Hudson Catholic Regional High School in Jersey City
- Isabella Hogan, Mother Seton Regional High School in Clark
- Chris Liivicota, Seton Hall Preparatory School in West Orange
- Mila Varela, St. Dominic Academy in Jersey City

Jadyra Amaya-Garcia (left) and Annalise De Leon got a taste of life as astronauts at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala., thanks to scholarships from the Scholarship Fund for Inner-City Children.
“SFIC has been proud to offer this scholarship program for the past 29 years because we see the transformative impact it has on students,” said Jasmin Roman, SFIC’s director of scholarship programs. “Our recipients gain knowledge, skills, and a passion for STEM that will serve them in the career they pursue — and they return more confident in themselves. It’s truly a life-changing experience.”

Mila Varela experienced what it is like to walk on the moon using a 1/6th gravity chair at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala., thanks to a scholarship from the Scholarship Fund for Inner-City Children.
The Space Academy scholarships are funded by Mark and Kathy Walchak, former parishioners of the archdiocese, whose daughter once attended the program. Inspired by her experience, they have generously supported the initiative since 1996, sending nearly 200 students from Catholic schools to Huntsville. Many alumni have gone on to STEM careers — including two who joined NASA’s Mars Exploration Program.
For more information about SFIC and its Space Academy scholarships, visit www.sficnj.org.
About the Scholarship Fund for Inner-City Children
Founded in 1983 as the Fund for Educational Advancement, the Scholarship Fund for Inner-City Children (SFIC) is a non-profit organization that provides children in need with the opportunity for a quality, values-based education in a safe environment. It offers partial-tuition assistance for students from economically disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds attending private and parochial schools within Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Union counties. Scholarships are based on need without regard to religion, gender, race or ethnic background. To date, SFIC has provided $53.5 million in partial-tuition assistance. Applicant families must be ready to provide proof of income and intend to attend one of the schools within the four counties it serves. For more information, visit www.sficnj.org.
About the Archdiocese of Newark?
The Archdiocese of Newark serves 1.3 million Catholics across northern New Jersey’s Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and Union counties. Led by Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., the sixth archbishop of Newark, the Archdiocese includes 211 parishes, 67 Catholic schools, and numerous missions and ministries committed to faith, educatio,n and social service. For more information, visit www.rcan.org.
Photos courtesy of the Scholarship Fund for Inner-City Children