Friday, Apr 28, 2023
Annual event connects generous donors with their scholarship recipients
by Diane Cornell
小优视频 held a scholarship luncheon for donors and recipients of named scholarships on April 18. More than 130 donors, alumni, students, faculty and staff members attended the event, held on campus in the Cavalla Room of the Bart Luedeke Center.
The event provides an opportunity for generous donors of undergraduate and graduate scholarships to meet and build connections with the students their philanthropy supports. During the event, six new scholarships were announced that were awarded for the first time this academic year:
- The Dominic H. 鈥73 and Joanne Balzano Endowed Scholarship
- The Carolyn Smyth Duckett Memorial Endowed Scholarship
- The Robert Erb 鈥55 Endowed Music Education Scholarship
- The Gary W. Hough 鈥81 Endowed Accounting Scholarship
- The Dr. Eugene Marsh 鈥13, 鈥18, 鈥21 Memorial Endowed Veterans Scholarship
- The Anna B. Stokes Endowed Music Scholarship
鈥淓ndowing a scholarship means it will exist for all time,鈥 noted Rider President Gregory G. Dell鈥橭mo, Ph.D., during his remarks at the luncheon. 鈥淚t is not just an investment in today鈥檚 student, but in future Rider students as well.鈥
Since the start of the University鈥檚 Transforming Students 鈥 Transforming Lives comprehensive fundraising campaign in 2018, 36 new endowed scholarships have been created to support Rider students. Building Rider鈥檚 endowment and increasing scholarship support is one of the campaign鈥檚 three priorities.
The University has 339 endowed scholarships which are awarded on an ongoing basis during the academic year. Last year, 830 students received nearly $3 million in donor scholarship support.
It is not just an investment in today鈥檚 student, but in future Rider students as well.鈥
The annual event hosted by University Advancement, features extraordinary scholarship recipients who memorably share their personal stories. This year鈥檚 speakers were senior Zeinabou Ly, the first recipient of The Joan C. Mazzotti 鈥72 and Michael C. Kelly Endowed Scholarship, and junior Alex Long, who received his scholarship from The UPS Foundation.
Long, a health sciences major from Flemington, New Jersey, is a brain cancer survivor who received the life-altering diagnosis just prior to starting his freshman year at Rider.
鈥淐ancer took away my ability to perform simple tasks like walking, talking, sleeping鈥 you name it, I couldn鈥檛 do it without help. But I got up every morning with the mindset, 鈥業鈥檓 going to be better today鈥 and with each small step I took, literally, I was. With intense physical, occupational and speech therapy I was able to do things I loved again.鈥
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Junior Alex Long (right) received a scholarship from The UPS Foundation and spoke at the event. MaryAlice Breuninger (left), vice president of Independent Colleges and Universities of New Jersey, represented the organization, which facilitated the scholarship. -
Senior Zeinabou Ly (center) was the first recipient of The Joan C. Mazzotti 鈥72 (right) and Michael C. Kelly (left) Endowed Scholarship and spoke at the event.
He credits his scholarship with helping him achieve his educational goals.
Ly, an information systems major minoring in business analytics and Chinese, is a first-generation college student from Lyndhurst, New Jersey, who told those gathered that receiving her scholarship 鈥渁llows me to focus on my studies and career advancement without worrying about how I will afford my education. Since I have not had to worry about financial pressures, I have been able to make the Dean's List every semester and maintain a 3.9 GPA.鈥
Vincent Milano 鈥85 and University Trustee Michele Powers 鈥84, who both have endowed scholarships to Rider, spoke about the lasting importance endowed scholarships have on the University as a whole.
鈥淭he 小优视频 I attended was a better institution from the one my parents attended thanks to the people who gave their time, talent, vision and money to enhance it," Powers noted. "The 小优视频 you attend today is better still because of the same vision and generosity of others. No one achieves their goals alone."
A photo gallery from the scholarship luncheon can be found .