Promising Futures Hartford Foundation Scholarship Program 2012-13 Scholarship Recipients contents VOLUNTEER SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE Thank you to the members of the Hartford Foundation’s Volunteer 1 Thank You! Scholarship Committee for all of their hard work in interviewing 2 Hartford Foundation College finalists and recommending recipients for the Hartford Foundation Scholarship Program College Scholarship awards. 3 Alison Marinelli 4 Hartford Foundation College Gemma Baker Richard Pinder Scholarship Program Award Germán Bermúdez Monique Polidoro Recipients Marla Byrnes Tyler Polk Luis Cabán Elizabeth Reilly 20 First-time recipients from funds Britt-Marie Cole-Johnson Rosalie Roth held at the Hartford Foundation Nicholas Criscitelli Sue Shepard 22 Hartford Foundation Community Booker DeVaughn Gail Stafford College Scholarship Program Elena DeVaughn Kathy Steinwedell 23 Graduate student recipients Kristen Horrigan Charles Teale Sr. Thomas Mahoney Dougie Trumble Susan Myers Anna Webersen Chris Pandolfe Sherwood Willard Lucille Pelletier 3Cover photo: Scholarship recipients with Hartford Foundation president, Linda J. Kelly Above: Scholarship recipients during the 8th annual scholarship recipient reception Photos by Jake Koteen Photography Thank You! “Higher education is a prerequisite to success in a knowledge-based society and economy,” according to the Lumina Foundation. We at the Hartford Foundation couldn’t agree more. thrive when the educational levels of the residents are increased. A scholarship has a positive snowball effect – Gifts to the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving through the benefits keep growing, long after the award is received. a scholarship fund acknowledge the work of our students and help them with the rising costs of education. Higher On behalf of the scholarship recipients, thank you! Your education is necessary for our students to reach the generosity has shown them how much the people of our middle class, live a quality life, and to be able to save for community care and believe in them. The Hartford retirement and allow our nation to compete in the global Foundation and donors to scholarship funds offer these economy. Every time one of our scholarship recipients students an opportunity to change their lives. Together, earns a college degree, we improve the economy, and this year, we will award nearly $1.2 million in scholarships reduce the costs of crime, poverty and health care. to residents of our community attending two-year and four- Children who see their parents earn college degrees are year colleges and universities. more likely to earn degrees themselves. Our communities Hartford Foundation for Public Giving College Scholarship Recipients 1 Hartford Foundation College Scholarship Program Our scholarship funds were created by individuals and organizations of all types and from across Greater Hartford. Their situations vary greatly. But they all share one motivation — to help students afford a college education. Because of these donors’ generosity, last year the Hartford Foundation awarded $1.2 million in support of college scholarships to more than 600 traditional-aged students and adult learners at four-year and two-year colleges, as well as local community colleges. Most of the scholarships for traditional-aged students are renewable, enabling students to receive significant support for each of their years in college as long as they maintain a good academic record. Moreover, these funds are endowed, which means that the Foundation will award scholarships to area students forever. There are three ways to make a substantial impact on area students through the Hartford Foundation: 1. You can create a named fund or contribute any amount to the Hartford Foundation’s General Scholarship Endowment Fund. Contributions are invested in our broadly diversified portfolio and the Fund makes four-year scholarship awards – currently of $3,000 per year for four years – for residents of Greater Hartford. 2. You can create a named fund or contribute any amount to the Community College Scholarship Endowment Fund. Contributions are invested in our broadly diversified portfolio and the Fund makes three-year escalating scholarship awards. Currently, the awards are for graduating high school seniors attending a community college in the fall after their graduation from high school. 3. With a sizeable gift, you can create an Individual Scholarship Fund (like those listed in this brochure) and name specific selection criteria for your scholar. The Foundation can help you decide how to participate in reviewing or nominating potential recipients. We will also handle scholarship distributions and renewal applications, and help you communicate with your scholar if you choose. 2 Hartford Foundation for Public Giving College Scholarship Recipients Challenges of Profound Hearing Loss Helped Shape Scholarship Winner’s Career Choice Entering college in 2008, Alison Marinelli faced more than the typical challenges that are common among first-year students. Alison was born with profound hearing loss. “Meeting new people seemed to require an explanation of my deafness before really getting to know them,” she says. “Loud places like the dining halls and parties were difficult for me to navigate sometimes because I couldn’t hear well.” Once classes started, Alison had to meet with professors, explain her condition, and ask for special accommodations such as using microphones in classes. While the hearing impairment Alison’s advice for new college students: has caused some unique challenges, Alison acknowledges that deafness has provided many experiences that have enriched “College is there to help shape you, so her life. Alison received her first cochlear implant at age four and you can go forward and shape the world. says, “I have made a hearing life for myself with these It’s a time to figure out who you are, and implants.” She developed listening skills that she needed to function at a societal level, and has become an advocate for prepare for a career that suits your the hearing-impaired. As a teenager, Alison gave several presentations to interests. Go forth to your futures and educators and parents in the region on topics such as educating professionals about support services and the advantages and find what you are so excited about, and disadvantages of audio enhancement in the classroom. figure out a way to help others with it.” Alison’s family always stressed the importance of education. She credits her parents and teachers with helping her to develop and hone skills that she would need in order to excel at a higher academic level. During her senior year at South Windsor High School, Alison was awarded two Hartford Foundation scholarships and became the first in her family to attend a four-year institution. She enrolled at Assumption College in Worcester, Massachusetts. Prior to entering college, Alison envisioned becoming a teacher of the deaf or a speech and language pathologist. However, while studying at Assumption, she realized her true passion. “Because of the assistance of the Hartford Foundation, I attended a school that helped me decide that the way I’m going to best serve my community around me is to be an audiologist.” Alison decided to major in human services and social rehabilitation studies, with a concentration in communication sciences and disorders. Through the college honors program, Alison wrote and defended her senior thesis on noise-induced hearing loss. She conducted research, designed a survey, ran her experiment, taught a class and, finally, published her work. “It was a project that I was so intensely invested in and I enjoyed so much. All that work absolutely confirmed my commitment to audiology.” Alison graduated from Assumption College in May. On June 6, she shared her college experiences during the Hartford Foundation’s eighth-annual Scholarship Recipient Reception held at the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford for the 2012-13 recipients. Alison will now enter the University of Connecticut as a graduate student to further her studies in audiology. 3 GENERAL SCHOLARSHIP ENDOWMENT FUND Hartford Foundation College Scholarship Program The scholarship funds listed above the recipients’ names were pooled to provide one four-year renewable scholarship award. Alliance Française of Hartford Harpin/Rohinsky Scholarship Daniel Clark Perkins Fund Jennifer Klemonsky Jen Klemonsky has learned to juggle many activities and responsibilities. She excelled in her Granby Memorial High School academics at Granby Memorial High School, and held a part-time job. She demonstrated leadership in student government, the Leo Club, the Bridges program, American Legion, and organized a blood drive. Somehow, she also helped care for her younger brother during tumultuous times in her home life. Her personal history and the maturity she has demonstrated throughout difficult times shows great promise for her future success. Jen enjoys foreign languages, and has studied French, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese. She hopes to continue studying languages and to study abroad during college, probably majoring in international studies. Jen will attend the University of Hartford. Maria Gonzalez Borrero Scholarship Daniel Clark Perkins Fund Keysa Nieves Keysa’s family moved to Hartford from Puerto Rico when she was 10 years old. She learned a new Bulkeley Upper High School language and adjusted to the culture, and acknowledges her fifth-grade teacher for his support in that transition. Her bilingual skills have enabled her to help her mother and others have a voice. Keysa is nurturing and reliable. She often was responsible for her younger sister. She aspires to become a pediatrician, and will be the first person in her family to go to college. Keysa has shown both the dedication and strength of character to pursue a career in medicine. Keysa will attend the pre-med program at the University of Connecticut. W. Philip Braender and Nancy Coleman Braender Scholarship Anthony Asmar Despite his shy demeanor, Anthony has a twinkle in his eye and a wry sense of humor. He has a South Windsor High School big heart and enjoys helping others through tutoring, in church and through his work as a volunteer EMT.