SJC BROOKLYN TO PARTNER WITH TZU CHI FOUNDATION TO PROVIDE FREE SAT PREP COURSES

February 24, 2020

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – February 24, 2020 – St. Joseph’s College (SJC) is pleased to announce that it will partner with the Tzu Chi Foundation to provide free SAT prep classes to local high school students at the Foundation’s branch office in Lower Manhattan. These classes will be targeted to recently arrived immigrant high school juniors and seniors who demonstrate academic promise but require additional help with the verbal component of the exam.

“Our ongoing partnership with the Tzu Chi Foundation enables the College to do what it does best: share the transformational power of education with those most in need of it,” said SJC President Donald R. Boomgaarden, Ph.D. “By using the pedagogical excellence of our ACES program to prepare English-language learners for the SAT, SJC is using its unique skills to prepare students in our community for success in college and beyond.”

The classes will provide students with in-depth preparation for the verbal component of the SAT exam. Designed for students for whom English is a second or third language, the aim of this course is to review all sections of the current test and offer strategies for improvement in all seven areas, including the essay. There will be a special focus on vocabulary acquisition, grammar and usage, and, most importantly, reading comprehension.  

“Both of our respective missions call us to transform our society via education,” said Freeman Su, executive director of Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation Northeast Region. “Our annual partnership with St. Joseph's College helps us accomplish this by preparing the young people we serve for success.”

The SAT prep course will run from March 12 through April 30 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Tzu Chi’s Chinatown office at 121 Lafayette Street. The class is free, but students will be required to purchase the supporting book for $25. For more information, contact Michael Banach at 718.940.5584 or [email protected].

ABOUT TZU CHI FOUNDATION
With offices in 46 countries, the Tzu Chi Foundation is one of the largest charity organizations originating in Taiwan. For over 48 years, the organization has provided services for those in need worldwide. What began as simple charitable work with Dharma Master Cheng Yen and 30 housewives has gradually expanded into the eight fields of compassion in action. They are: charity, medicine, education, culture, international relief, bone marrow donation, environmental protection and community volunteerism. To this day, nearly all services are provided by foundation member volunteers, who labor with an attitude of love and gratitude towards all people. 

ABOUT ST. JOSEPH'S COLLEGE
St. Joseph’s College has been dedicated to providing a diverse population of students in the New York metropolitan area with an affordable education rooted in the liberal arts tradition since 1916. Independent and coeducational, the College provides a strong academic and value-oriented education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, aiming to prepare each student for a life characterized by integrity, intellectual and spiritual values, social responsibility and service. Through SJC Brooklyn, SJC Long Island and SJC Online, the College offers degrees in 50 majors, special course offerings and certificates, affiliated and pre-professional programs.