Established over 25 years ago, the Moakley Scholarship program has helped nearly 200 city of Boston employees attend Northeastern University to further their education and better the city’s services. 

To celebrate the partnership, Mayor Michelle Wu, U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, Northeastern President Joseph E. Aoun, and graduating city of Boston employees gathered Tuesday afternoon at the Cabral Center at the university’s Boston campus. 

Wu called the relationship between the city and Northeastern unique and special.

“You are truly the dream of so many cities around the country to have this kind of collaboration where the breadth, the scale and the intensiveness of preparing the next generation of leaders in our workforce across every sector of our city,” Wu said. “We’re so grateful for all that you do.” 

The scholarship is named after the late U.S. Rep. Joe Moakley, who was instrumental in obtaining federal dollars to construct some of Northeastern’s buildings. The scholars, in a highly competitive process, are picked by the city. 

This year, 16 Moakley Scholarship recipients will receive their master’s degrees.

To be eligible, applicants must have a bachelor’s degree, be a full-time city employee and have worked for the city for at least one year. The scholarship covers tuition.

Wu said Northeastern is investing in the city’s workforce, but the scholarship recipients and their families are also making investments and sacrifices.

“Thank you for taking time,” Wu said. “If your homes are a little bit like mine, where there’s laundry sitting there waiting for you, there’s figuring out how to get the kids to all their activities, the ability to make space among all of that—to really invest in yourself and being the best possible manager you could be or a paramedic you could be or team member you could be for the city of Boston—that means so much.”

“I am so proud to call you all my colleagues,” Wu said. 

City employees are responsible for ensuring residents remain happy, Lynch said. That can range from picking up garbage to public safety to providing enough equity and inclusion access in government. 

“We’re so thankful for your willingness to spend your lives in the meaningful cause and improving the lives and in a real way reducing the suffering of some people who otherwise no one,” Lynch said. “Thank you for the work each and every day.”

Kharlita Chambers-Walker, the city’s supplier diversity outreach and engagement manager, earned a master’s degree in public administration from Northeastern in 2021. She spoke of her struggles getting through the Boston Public School system as a person who didn’t learn in the same way as others. 

But when she reached the 10th grade—the highest level of education her mother received—she knew she had to push on. She earned her bachelor’s degree from UMass Dartmouth. When the scholarship opportunity arose, she questioned whether she wanted to put herself through the struggles of learning again.

It was worth it. 

“It’s been such a huge benefit and gain for me throughout the years, and I’m still applying what I’ve learned in the classroom at City Hall,” Chambers-Walker said. So much so that she feels like she has a “cheat code” to succeed. 

“I’m super thankful for this opportunity,” she said. 

Lifelong learning is paramount, Aoun said. 

“What is happening now in the nation is transformation,” he said. “AI is making us obsolete.”

About 50% of the jobs will disappear in the next 20 years, Aoun said. But it is also the case that there will be new jobs. 

Now, it is clear that this opportunity needs to expand to every person to become lifelong learners, he said. 

“We all need to reinvent ourselves,” Aoun said. “We need to reskill ourselves and upskill ourselves, and that’s what you’re doing.”

Beth Treffeisen is a Northeastern Global News reporter. Email her at b.treffeisen@northeastern.edu. Follow her on Twitter @beth_treffeisen.