35969 ScholarRecipientBk_ScholRecipBk11 9/19/11 6:22 PM Page b Bridge to Success Hartford Foundation Scholarship Program 2011-12 Scholarship Recipients 35969 ScholarRecipientBk_ScholRecipBk11 9/19/11 6:22 PM Page c c o n t e n t s 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 Nicholas and Miranda Criscitelli Gemma Baker Chris Pandolfe 4 Hartford Foundation College Scholarship Program Award Germán Bermúdez Lucille Pelletier Recipients Beverly Boyle Richard Pinder Corey Brinson Monique Polidoro 20 First-time recipients from funds Kim Burris Tyler Polk held at the Hartford Foundation Marla Byrnes Rosalie Roth 23 Graduate student recipients Britt-Marie Cole-Johnson Sue Shepard Nicholas Criscitelli Gail Stafford 23 Hartford Foundation Community Booker DeVaughn Kathy Steinwedell College Scholarship Program Deb Grehn Coreen Sunde 24 Donors to funds awarding Ilene Kaplan Charles Teale, Sr. scholarships Tom Mahoney Anna Webersen Susan Myers Sherwood Willard 3Cover photo and above: Scholarship recipients with Nancy Woodward, Hartford Foundation donor services officer; Linda J. Kelly, Hartford Foundation president, and members of the Board of Directors during the 7th annual scholarship recipient reception. Photos by Jake Koteen Photography 35969 ScholarRecipientBk_ScholRecipBk11 9/19/11 6:22 PM Page 1 T h a n k Y o u ! Only 39 percent of the U.S. population has a college health care. Children who see their parents earn college degree, either two-year or four-year, according to the degrees are more likely to earn a degree themselves. Lumina Foundation. Higher education attainment levels are Our communities thrive when the educational levels of the increasing in every industrialized or post-industrial country residents are increased. A scholarship award has a in the world except the U.S., in some cases at dramatic positive snowball effect — the benefits keep growing, rates. At this time of economic struggle in our nation, the long after the award is received. necessity and value of a college degree for the individual On behalf of our scholarship recipients, thank you! and our country is more important than ever. Your generosity has shown them how much the people of Gifts to the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving their community care and believe in them. The Hartford through a scholarship fund not only reward area students Foundation and donors to scholarship funds offer these for their accomplishments and keep donors’ generous students an opportunity to change their lives. Together, spirit alive, it gives our recipients the chance to succeed in this year, we will award nearly $1 million in scholarships to college and after they graduate. Every time one of our residents of our community attending two-year and four- recipients earns a college degree, we improve the year colleges and universities. economy and reduce the costs of crime, poverty and Hartford Foundation for Public Giving College Scholarship Recipients 1 35969 ScholarRecipientBk_ScholRecipBk11 9/19/11 6:22 PM Page 2 Hartford Foundation College Scholarship Program Our scholarship funds were created by people and organizations of all types and from all 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, in 2010 the Hartford Foundation awarded nearly $1 million in support of college scholarships to more than 630 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 permanent endowments, 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. With a sizeable gift you can create an Individual Scholarship Fund (like those listed in this report) 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. You can 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 academic year — for residents of Greater Hartford. 3. You can contribute any amount to the Community College Scholarship Endowment Fund. Contributions are invested in our broadly diversified portfolio and the Fund makes three-year increasing amount scholarship awards. Currently, the awards are for graduating high school seniors attending a community college in the fall after their graduation from high school. 2 Hartford Foundation for Public Giving College Scholarship Recipients 35969 ScholarRecipientBk_ScholRecipBk11 9/19/11 6:22 PM Page 3 For Nicholas and Miranda, college scholarships linked education, careers — and marriage! Nicholas and Miranda Criscitelli have a lot in common — same age (24), same hometown (Enfield), same high school (Enrico Fermi), same impressive record of academic/athletic/extracurricular activities, and the same high-energy work ethic. And one more thing: In 2004, they were the only students from Enrico Fermi to be awarded college scholarships by the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. Both praise their supportive families, but “neither of our families were able to help us financially pay for college,” said Miranda. “If we didn’t get scholarships, we weren’t going to be able to go to college, at least not right away.” “A list of scholarships in the guidance office was updated once a week and we’d go down there to see if there was anything new we could apply for,” said Nick. “We both applied to the Hartford Foundation and we were lucky enough to get interviews on the same day,” said Miranda. “A month or two later we learned we had both received a scholarship so we were able to go to the colleges of our choice.” Nick graduated from Westfield State College in Massachusetts in 2008 and works in the law and compliance division for the MassMutual Financial Group in Springfield. Miranda graduated the same year from Bay Path College, also in Massachusetts, and is an elementary school teacher in Holyoke. Nick and Miranda, who still live in Enfield, were dating at the time they were awarded the scholarships and like to joke that the scholarships helped cement their relationship. With the aid of the scholarships — and the two full-time jobs they worked — they were able to graduate debt-free. Now they’re showing appreciation for the help they received. “We want to give back and right now this is how we are able to do that,” said Nick. He serves on the Scholarship Interview Committee at the Hartford Foundation and both appeared on a panel exploring the college experience during the seventh annual Scholarship Recipient Reception held June 9 at Saint Joseph College in West Hartford for the 2011-12 recipients. “At this point in our lives we certainly are not able to provide our own scholarship fund or contribute to the Hartford Foundation endowment, but we want to do what we can,” said Miranda. Serving on the panel at the reception for new scholarship recipients was “one way that we could give back,” said Nick. “I think for those entering college to hear the challenges of going to college, and all that it entails, from someone who is not so far removed from it, is definitely a big help.” When interviewing prospective scholarship recipients, Nick not only examines grades and financial need but looks for a student “who understands what he or she wants in life and is going to benefit from college.” Any advice for new college students? From Miranda: From Nick: “We both set really high goals for “Take full advantage of all that’s ourselves in college and in high offered. Someone at the last school. Even if we were not able scholarship reception said college to achieve them, at least they is the only time in your life when were there. What’s the worst everyone is focused on you. It’s thing that can happen? You don’t your experience. You’re paying for meet the goal and you make a it either by funds you earned or new goal for yourself. If you don’t funds you have been given from set high enough goals, you’ll an organization like the Hartford never know what you can do.” Foundation. Don’t let the experience go to waste.” 3 35969 ScholarRecipientBk_ScholRecipBk11 9/19/11 6:22 PM Page 4 GENERAL SCHOLARSHIP ENDOWMENT FUND Hartford Foundation College Scholarship Program The scholarship funds listed above the recipients’ names were pooled to offer one four-year renewable scholarship award. AB Club Scholarship Foundation Fund established by John D. Wardlaw Frederick G. Adams Scholarship Hartford Grammar School Scholarship Dajee Addison In June, Dajee was the first female in her family to graduate from high school. Both her Sport and Medical grandmother and mother were single parents and were the sole source of income for their young Sciences Academy children. Dajee has been driven to break the cycle and graduate from high school and then college. She started her high school career at Bulkeley where she earned high honors. In her sophomore year, she transferred to the Sport and Medical Sciences Academy where she participated in the Aetna HPPI Academy Junior/Senior Doctors Academy, completing 40 hours of training over two years.