Three Piscataway High School seniors, Fatima Chughtai, Blake Naing, and Jane Rodriguez, received a surprise at the Principal’s conference room on Wedenesday May 20, 2026, where they were awarded $5,000 scholarships from the VRX foundation to support their college journeys. The scholarships, presented through the nonprofit organization, aim to ease financial burdens and recognize students who demonstrate need, hard work, and community involvement.
The surprise ceremony brought together school counselors, school administrators, scholarship representatives, and student recipients as the winners learned about the awards.
According to VRX representative Shay Shah, the organization focuses on helping students pursue higher education through direct financial support.
“We are a registered 501(c) (3) organization…all those funds create scholarships for these students,” Shah said. “It goes directly to their schools, and those $5,000 can help them pursue their journey.”
Shah explained that scholarship recipients are chosen based on financial need, essays, volunteer work, and their potential to positively impact their communities.
The scholarship was founded by local parent, Rich Shah, and his wife, Kay Shah, who is a graduate of PHS. This year, VRX awarded 40,000 in scholarships, and is has awarded almost 100,000 over the past five years.
Rich Shah began the foundation five years ago after overcoming a personal illness and learning how to DJ. Now, he donates all proceeds from his DJ business, VegasRich to the VRX scholarship fund. The fund began by awarding $3,000 in 2021, and has grown significantly since then.
According to the VRX website, Rich created the scholarship fund because he was “Inspired by [his] love of music and [his] commitment to help those who are struggling as [he] did… [Rich] realized that many students faced the same challenges that [he] had growing up, and that music could be a powerful tool for helping them to stay motivated and focused on their goals.”
For recipient Jane Rodrigues, who will attend Wilkes University next year, the moment came as a complete surprise.
“[At first,] I thought I was getting in trouble for something,” Rodrigues said.
After realizing what was happening, Rodrigues said the scholarship became an important step toward her future goals of becoming a nurse while continuing to wrestle. She explained that the financial support will help reduce future debt and make college more manageable.
Recipient Blake Naing also described feeling nervous at first before understanding why he had been called into the room.
“Having as much financial help is really important for me,” Naing said.
Naing, who plans to attend Cornell university in New York, said the scholarship will help him adjust to a new environment and explore new opportunities while easing financial pressure.
The final recipient, Senior Fatima Chughtai, was not able to attend the ceremony, but will be attending Rutgers University in the fall.
The ceremony highlighted not only the excitement of receiving a scholarship but also the impact community organizations can have by investing in students and their futures.
