CLINTON HILL — Julia Cuttino Bennett graduated from St. Joseph’s University in Brooklyn in 1978 and went on to dedicate nearly four decades to caring for patients at Harlem Hospital Center. Now, almost 50 years since her graduation, Bennett’s legacy is lighting the way for the next generation of nurses at her alma mater.
In July, St. Joseph’s University nursing student Damita Smith received the Julia C. Bennett Scholarship, an award created by the foundation established in Bennett’s name to empower future nurses.
Smith, a junior who lives in Flatbush, said she was overjoyed when she learned she had been chosen as the recipient of the scholarship.
“I wasn’t expecting it,” she said. “With scholarships, so many people apply, and to be chosen is truly a privilege.”
Born on the island of Jamaica, Smith lost her mother at a young age and later her grandparents — losses that fueled her passion for healthcare.
“I want to be able to give back,” she said. “Healthcare is one of those industries that really needs people who are passionate, and I’m passionate about helping others.”
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The Julia C. Bennett Scholarship was born out of her longtime dedication to nursing and her community.
A native of Georgetown, South Carolina, Bennett moved to the Bronx as a young woman to pursue nursing. Following her studies at St. Joseph’s University, she devoted 39 years to Harlem Hospital Center, working her way from nurses’ aide to nursing supervisor.
Sylvia Bennett, Julia Bennett’s daughter and the president and co-founder of the Julia Cuttino Bennett Foundation, describes her mother as humble, giving, and dedicated.
“As an emergency room nurse, she saw a lot of nurses who were going through the same path that she was … she always kept these pictures of babies. If her peers or her subordinate had a baby, she would ‘adopt’ them. They were all her babies,” Bennett said. “That was part of her personality, and that part of who she was.
“She liked to see young people do well.”
The Bennett family said that Smith’s application stood out among more than two dozen because of her strong academic record and deep sense of purpose rooted in her life experiences — the same values Julia Bennett embodied.
When Bennett passed away in June 2023 at age 85, her family mobilized to create the foundation in her honor. Established in 2024, the nonprofit works to uplift the next generation of nurses by easing some of the financial burdens that come with their training. Its annual scholarship provides $1,200 toward tuition and expenses.
“The idea that we had was to create an organization that can support the next generation of nurses like her, who had their own struggles and challenges that they needed to overcome,” said Jared Bennett-Barchus, Bennett’s grandson and treasurer and co-founder of the Bennett Foundation. “Being able to give her the ‘flowers’ she deserves is something we are proud to do.”
Bennett-Barchus added that the foundation hopes to award scholarships to nursing students for years to come, and that candidates can anticipate next year’s applications to open in early 2026.
Julia Bennett was also a woman of faith. While not Catholic, she was Christian and an active member of her church community in Brooklyn for over 65 years.
Like Bennett, Smith draws strength from her faith, and she sees her Catholic education as a foundation for how she hopes to serve others as a nurse.
“Jesus’ story, and how he cared for the less fortunate, really inspires me on my journey to becoming a nurse,” she said. “In whatever you do, you have to be respectful of others. So being in an environment where students respect Catholic values really makes a difference.”
Smith said that receiving a scholarship in Bennett’s name is also a profound affirmation as a young black woman entering a demanding field, much like Bennett.
“Being able to blaze the trail and to be able to be recognized for not only being an exceptional student academically, but being exceptional in that I want to offer my service to others is remarkable,” she said. “To be chosen for this scholarship is a dream come true, because not only will I be able to benefit from the scholarship, but I’ll be able to help to carry her legacy on. I’m grateful for that.”