The Picayune interviews Rose Brundage Moore & The 431 Exchange
The Picayune catches up with Rose Brundage Moore, one of our 2019 Scholarship Winners, and The 431 Exchange for its front page story.
Rose Brundage Moore graduated from the Goodwill Technical College with a 431 Exchange Scholarshipp. She received the small giraffe for making a donation to the fund.
STAFF PHOTO BY MAX BECHERER
Rose Brundage Moore was 65 when she launched a fresh academic career at Goodwill Technical College on Canal Street. She signed up for the school’s medical coding and billing program in August 2019, but before she even began the fall semester, Moore feared she’d have to put her studies on hold. As an unemployed senior citizen managing expensive car repairs, she couldn’t pay the tuition.
“I contacted the school and told them that I wouldn't be able to attend,” she said. “I told them maybe the next semester, or maybe the following year, I would be able to attend.”
However, Moore’s academic adviser, Jerilyn Collins, helped her find a financial sponsor through the Department of Labor, so she was able move forward — but things still weren't easy. Moore aced her first semester by relying on copies of reading assignments and PowerPoint presentations, because she could not afford books.
Collins came to the rescue again. She guided Moore to The 431 Exchange Scholarship Program, which awards cash grants to students pursuing continuing or vocational education goals. Applicants must write an essay about the person who inspired their academic journey, so Moore wrote about Collins.
Toward the end of 2019, the St. Roch resident received a scholarship for $1,431, which helped her purchase used books for the following semester. This past December, thanks to a second scholarship from The 431 Exchange — for $431 — and funds from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Moore was able pay for the certification exam, study materials and minor computer equipment. She also made a $100 donation to The 431 Exchange.
“I believe in paying it forward,” Moore said.
A family affair
Siblings Jeanne and Jeff Geoffray formed the 431 Exchange in 2018, in honor of their late mother, Alice Geoffray.
The 431 Exchange (431exchange.org) is a national nonprofit with roots in New Orleans. It supports educational equality through advocacy, fundraising efforts and a scholarship fund.
Siblings Jeanne and Jeff Geoffray formed the organization in 2018, in honor of their late mother, Alice Geoffray.
Alice Geoffray was the director of the storied Adult Education Center, which operated in a seedy section of the French Quarter from 1965 through 1972. The school provided vocational training primarily to underemployed Black women, while challenging segregation norms in the business world. While it was open, 431 females graduated from the groundbreaking school.
“These were the first Black women to integrate the offices of downtown New Orleans,” said Jeanne Geoffray, noting that the women's accomplishments reverberated throughout the region and helped establish equal employment opportunities during and after the Civil Rights era.
Alice Geoffray went on to earn master's and Ph.D. degrees, and served as the director of career education at the Louisiana State Department, “but she always loved this period of her life and kept close with the 431 graduates,” said Jeanne Geoffray.
Alice Geoffray died in 2009, but through The 431 Exchange, the Geoffray siblings are following in their mother’s footsteps.
“We feel a big responsibility to carry on the legacy for my mom, as well as for the teachers and the graduates,” said Jeanne Geoffray. “My mom talked about them for 50 years. So to actually reconnect with them, and for them to be a part of our family and us a part of theirs is just amazing.”
The scholarship program is open to anyone 18 or older, who is registered at a college, university, vocation or trade school. Scholarships worth $1,431 apiece are awarded to eight applicants a year, including descendants of AEC students.
Jeanne Geoffray described the grant as a “boost of money,” rather than a “full-blown scholarship,” which will help with housing, tuition or meals.
2020 scholarship winner Bobby Steptoe is the great nephew of 1969 AEC graduate Shirley Rondeno.
Although Adult Education Center is historically associated with women, The 431 Exchange offered a scholarship to a man for the first time in December. The recipient, Bobby Steptoe, is the great nephew of 1969 center graduate Shirley Rondeno.
Steptoe grew up in what was then called the St. Bernard Projects, but he lives in Houston. The 23-year-old is striving for a bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of Houston and plans to graduate this spring.
“My Auntie Shirley told me about the (scholarship) opportunity,” said Steptoe. “I liked what (the Adult Learning Center) stood for — empowering African American women in New Orleans.”
For his application essay, Steptoe wrote about his mother, who completed college while he was in high school.
“Seeing her go back after all those years motivated me,” he said. “I didn't want to let all the things that she had worked for go undone.”
Other fall 2020 scholarship recipients include Anaya LeBlanc, Pamela Manuel and Jazmine Foxworth.
2020 scholarship winner Anaya LeBlanc
LeBlanc is studying psychology at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. When she finishes in 2024, she will be the first person in her family to graduate from college.
2020 scholarship winner Pamela D. Manuel
Manuel is completing a doctorate in business administration from Walden University in Minneapolis. She was inspired by her late grandmother — a woman who underscored the importance of educating her 13 children, and her numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren.
2020 scholarship winner Jazmine Foxworth
Foxworth is learning software engineering through New Orleans-based nonprofit Operation Spark. She grew up visiting the library each Thursday with her mother; the tradition ignited her interest in reading.
For the 2021-22 school year, The 431 Exchange hopes to dole out 43 scholarships with varying dollar amounts, said Jeanne Geoffray.
Moral support
Although Moore largely credits her academic adviser for reviving her journey in education, the two-time scholarship recipient says her family, classmates, and teachers buoyed her spirits with words of encouragement along the way.
“We were placed in each other’s lives to build a lasting friendship, which will forever be remembered,” she said.
Moore completed her coursework and passed a National Healthcare Association certification exam during the holidays. (Her graduation is pending due to COVID-19.)
“I'm excited,” she said. “I'm an educator myself (she was a certified CPR instructor and GED tutor), and I always do my best to encourage others to fulfill their dreams, even if it's just for self-accomplishment. You're never too old to learn something new.”
Article link: https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/article_9ee3a4e0-4fb6-11eb-92d4-979d495b4667.html