The New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association Scholarship Fund distributed $183,000 to 36 students for the 2024-25 academic year.

“It’s heartwarming to see what an impact we can have on the lives of young people,” said NYTHA President Tina Marie Bond. “Education has long been the springboard to a successful future. Some of our graduates have become veterinarians, others work in medicine, and one has even become a pilot with JetBlue.

NYTHA Scholarships are available to backstretch workers or their direct dependants. Established in 2008, the Fund has assisted nearly 700 students in that timeframe while allocating $2.9 million to their higher education pursuits.

In addition to granting scholarships, NYTHA provides applicants with one-on-one sessions with financial aid consultants. The consultants assist students in exploring additional academic funding options, and sourced nearly $300,000 in other grants to help cover the ever-rising costs of higher education.

One of the scholarship recipients, Matthew Fuertes, is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Aerospace Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

“Thanks to NYTHA’s assistance, I have been able to afford essential items like transportation, food, supplies, and many other necessities as I go through college…As a first-generation student from a low-income immigrant family, I will be the first in my family to achieve a PhD, and this would not have been possible without NYTHA’s support.”

Another student, Jocelin Narciso Molina, is on her way to earning a Master’s in Social Work at Stony Brook University.

“As the child of immigrants who have worked tirelessly as hotwalkers on the backstretch at Belmont, I have seen firsthand the impact of NYTHA’s generosity on families like mine,” she said.

Dionne Johnson, NYTHA’s Business Manager, has helped steward the program since its inception.

“Over the years, this has been such a meaningful part of my work here at NYTHA,” she said. “We get to know the families and understand how significant a college degree can be. These families are the backbone of New York racing, and our mission is to support the people and families that dedicate their lives to caring for the horses.”