Patricia Choukeir Memorial Scholarship

Patricia (Trish) Choukeir took on many roles for many people. She was born in Queensbury, NY, and lived most of her life in South Glens Falls with her husband Hassan, three boys Ali, Mustafa, and Khalil. She was a sister to three brothers and one sister, as well as a supportive and loving aunt. In the last year of her life she became the grandmother to Aimon and her legacy also lives on through her granddaughter Sabrina Patricia.

Pat's family was her singular focus, but she also loved her career assisting college students. She worked at Skidmore College for nearly 17 years, and prior to that, SUNY Adirondack for nearly 16 years, making cherished friends along the way. She graduated with an associate degree from SUNY Adirondack in 1999, while working full time and taking care of her three young children. She graduated from Queensbury High School in 1982. In high school, Patricia was a member of the National Honor’s Society, and the MVP for her field hockey team.

I knew her as Trish. She was not just my big sister, but my protector and the one person who inspired me to attend a community college after I barely graduated from high school, and I was the beneficiary of that tireless support.

After dropping out of two community colleges, I was attending Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, NY and my car broke down three weeks into the new semester. I had been regularly going to the Learning Assistance Center (LAC) to get tutoring. Once again, I was faced with dropping out of college.

Trish and Hassan made a commitment to support me in any way they could, which is a role they always took on for many. Hassan picked me up from the home Trish and I grew up in, and we drove 30 minutes south to drop Hassan off at work, and then I took their car another 20 minutes south to Hudson Valley. Hassan worked overtime so I could run cross country, and that semester my grades went from a 1.7 to a 3.86.

We are all better for those people who walked along with us, and supported us when we needed it most. Trish did that for so many, and it is with her loving and supportive spirit in mind that we created the Patricia Choukeir Memorial Scholarship for a deserving student at South Glens Falls High School, where Trish and Hassan’s 3 boys and her daughter-in-law Richele Bock Choukeir graduated.



The $2500 scholarship will be awarded to a student who gives back to their community, is attending a two- or four-year institution, has a financial need, and has a strong need to help support others, like Trish always did.