Maria Lema, who this fall became the first in her family to attend college, always loved school. "It was my main focus in life," she said, "the only thing I've been good at." At age 6, Ms. Lema and her younger sister were placed in foster care with her uncle and his wife because her mother was using drugs.
Brendan Bannon for The New York Times
Maria Lema is the first member of her family to attend college.
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Five years later, the girls returned home to live with their mother, who had stopped using drugs. But she and Ms. Lema fought a lot, and school was a refuge. "I would wake up and look forward to go to school," Ms. Lema said. She joined school clubs and became known as the smart girl. Conflicts with her mother drove her to move in with friends in her senior year. She graduated with a grade-point average of 90, and with help from her Bronx high school and St. Raymond Community Outreach, a Catholic Charities affiliate, she applied to college.
SUNY Buffalo gave her the most money; grants and a $5,000 annual student loan covered all but $810 of the tuition. She worked at Burger King last summer to pay the balance, but she had no money for books. Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New York, an organization supported by The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund, gave her $470 to buy books. This fall, she began her freshmen year in Buffalo. "I always dreamed of attending college," she said. "It brings me joy that I have gotten this far."
Donations to The Neediest Cases Fund go to seven charities: Brooklyn Community Services; Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York; Catholic Charities, Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens; the Children's Aid Society; the Community Service Society of New York; the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies; and the UJA-Federation of New York. To help, please send a check to: The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund, 4 Chase Metrotech Center, 7th Floor East, Lockbox 5193, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11245. You may also call (800) 381-0075 and use a credit card, or you may donate at:www.nytneediestcases.com.
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