Merlyn Jacob

Hi, my name is Merlyn Jacob and I am the first recipient to the Raymond Harrison (“HAP”) scholarship. This scholarship was given to me by Adam Bailey and it really did mean a lot to me.

I go to Rutgers University and I originally was not going to get this scholarship…and I didn’t know I was going to get the scholarship until I went to the Academic Dinner and he generously gave me the first year scholarship for Rutgers University. Originally I was only suppose to get it for one year and Adam graciously extended it to four years and so I got a full ride to Rutgers University and I can’t thank him enough for that. School tuition can cost a lot of money and it could be a real struggle for certain families.

For me personally my father passed away when I was younger and my mom raised three children on her own. This scholarship has really done really good for me and my family financially. If it wasn’t for him, I would probably be taking out loans and trying to pay off the tuition myself. Just knowing that I got a full ride it’s really great. It’s something that I could always say that I got when I was in college and its all thanks to Adam.

Knowing Adam for almost four years now has definitely been a blessing for me. He doesn’t just stop at giving the tuition. He really does reach out to me and we have kept in touch since my senior year of high school and right now I am entering my senior year of college. Those four years has been a great blessing. He definitely gave me a lot of opportunities that I probably would not have been able to get on my own.

It’s really tough to get internships. Since my freshman year of college, he has helped me to get these internships at top rated universities, like Columbia University. I have been in contact with great people there and I got to meet great doctors, intelligent doctors and I got to do research on Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, ALS and it really did open my eyes and I got to see different sides of the medical field that I never seen before. It definitely was hands on and I got to learn a lot and again thanks to Adam.

This summer, I will again be working at Columbia University. I will be working with Dr. Sheborsky and his team and we will be looking at survival rates of neurons. It’s very hands on and I am really grateful to be doing it because I will be working with very intelligent people and Columbia University is rated top ten in the nation and to get an internship working with these intelligent people is definitely a great opportunity and thanks to Adam and these last three years working with him it’s definitely been very helpful for me and gives me an advantage of the grad schools that I will be applying to this year.

My advice to scholarship winners is truthfully, keep in touch with Adam Leitman Bailey. Not only, again, has he helped me financially, he has help me out…he’s just a great person in general. He gives great advice. He tells you like it is. He is very honest and down to earth. He’s a great person and I am very thankful to have known him this long.

Hi Adam!

I graduated and I can officially call myself a Rutgers alumni like you! After graduation and my brief break, I quickly began to prepare myself for PA school and attended my first orientation at Mercy College today–I begin classes this Friday. It has been a long and hard four years but I finally did it by God’s grace, the support of my family and friends, and of course, your generous donation and encouragement throughout.

Let me first start by saying I am honored to be the first recipient of the Raymond ‘Hap’ Harrison Scholarship. Thanks to your generous support, I have obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Biology at a fine and distinguished institution at Rutgers University. By awarding me this scholarship, you have lightened my financial burden which allowed me to place emphasis on the most essential aspect of school, learning. I do hope that one day I will be able to help students achieve their goals just as you have helped me.

I cannot help but wonder though what if Hap retired the following year I graduated? Or what if you did not join the track team in high school? Or what if I did not go to Rutgers? The list can go on and on but the point is that I probably would not have met such a wonderful, generous, and kindhearted person like yourself. I can probably speak for the other recipients of the scholarship when I say that you have been an exemplary role model and a terrific mentor. Despite your hectic and demanding schedule, you continuously strive for our success by providing scholarships, internships, and possible job opportunities. It is truly admirable to see the way you have touched so many lives and for that I am grateful to have had the opportunity to get to know you these past few years. Once again, I offer my sincerest thanks for your continued generosity to the Raymond ‘Hap’ Harrison Scholarship.

I know your summer is being quickly filled with different events but I would love to take you out to dinner with my family here sometime, if possible. Let me know if you can make a trip out here sometime!