Kayah De La Cruz

James Madison High School
Brooklyn, NY

Kayah De La Cruz has engaged and spearheaded several extracurricular endeavors and volunteer efforts focused on equity for those of all socioeconomic backgrounds and accessible healthcare.

She founded LangLinks, an initiative to reduce the impact of language barriers on educational performance for English Language Learners by helping students navigate various educational interfaces in 5+ languages.

As an active member of her community, Kayah maintains a dedication to her roots in Poland and the Dominican Republic and engages in activities tied to her heritage. Cognizant of the lack of support for youth health in the Dominican Republic, Kayah established the Dominican Republic Children Health Initiative: she has collected thousands of dollars worth of health and hygiene supplies, personally distributed these materials, and spoken with children about the importance of nurturing health and health advocacy.

Kayah additionally hosts fundraisers at her Polish schools for various causes— from raising funds to buy new Polish textbooks for her school to building new Polish schools in different countries. Kayah also tutors Low-Income Polish Students virtually to improve their English comprehension skills through individualized study plans & goal setting.

Kayah takes great pride in giving back to her community and fostering a more equitable society.

Scholarships Awarded in 2024: Your First Scholarship

In Your First Scholarship, an award for those who have never before won a scholarship, we will be walking you through all the steps of the application process, providing the best tips and tricks, and essentially, leaving you with a refined "toolbox" for you to use in all your future endeavors—from academic to professional.