The endowed fellowship honors the late Laurie K. Meyers and Robert J. Salberg, whose lives were cut short and whose commitment to higher education inspired the award. Castillo, a More Than Bootstraps College Student Leader pursuing a public-health degree at Rutgers–New Brunswick, is the second recipient of the fellowship.
Castillo immigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic and began school here in seventh grade. She graduated from Passaic Academy for Science and Engineering in June 2025 after serving as a More Than Bootstraps high school fellow. Now a second-year Rutgers student with plans to pursue medical school, she is among nine former fellows who have transitioned into college student leader roles. In that capacity, she mentors two high school juniors.
More Than Bootstraps uses near-peer mentoring to help students in Passaic and Plainfield navigate college search, applications, financial aid and the transition to higher education. College students who graduated from those communities return as mentors, creating support networks for younger students. The organization also provides stipends, laptops and emergency resources to help students meet non-tuition costs.
Founded by educators, More Than Bootstraps is a 501(c)(3) organization based at 421 Highland Ave. in Westfield. More information, including donation opportunities, is available at morethanbootstraps.org.