04/14/2026
On April 10, Dr. B took a group of juniors: Samantha Wynne (Norwalk High), Yisel Vazquez-Santiago (Norwalk High), Ashley Diaz (Norwalk High), and Shirley Milian (AITE Stamford) to visit Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT. The group toured the campus and had lunch with Jacklyn Brzoska, a Gaffney Scholar and current junior majoring in Neuroscience and Behavior with a minor in Chemistry.
Jacklyn is conducting research on neurodegenerative diseases using stem cell models; the results of her work have been accepted for publication. She plans to write her senior thesis on Alzheimer’s disease and take a gap year to study for the MCAT before pursuing both an MD and a PhD in neuroscience.
What makes her story even more powerful is that she has been able to fully focus on her academic and research goals thanks to $98,000 per year in scholarships and grants from Wesleyan.
Jacklyn is also part of a growing legacy within the Gaffney community. Her cousin, Natalia Kotowska, is a Gaffney Scholar who graduated from Fairfield University and is now attending Fordham Law School. Currently, Gaffney has four students in law school, two in dental school, three in medical school and a master’s degree candidate at Harvard.
As college costs continue to rise, Gaffney Scholars continue to earn the support they need to succeed. This year alone, students have received significant financial aid from schools including Barnard, Connecticut College, Lehigh, Johns Hopkins, Trinity, Tufts, Wesleyan, and Vassar.
We are incredibly proud of Jacklyn and excited for the next group of rising seniors.
