Of the 11 local students awarded scholarships by The Rotary Club of Danbury, eight of them are current or incoming students at Western Connecticut State University. On June 3, these students were presented with scholarship awards at a lunch held at the Ethan Allen Hotel in Danbury. The students were described not only as scholars, but also as valuable members of the community through their volunteering, commitments and dedication to helping others.
WCSU sophomore Joseph Magnoli of Norwalk plays on the university football team and volunteers by tutoring students. He received a $2,500 scholarship from Savings Bank of Danbury. Danbury resident Steffani Carrion, also a WCSU sophomore and member of both the Honors Program and Rotaract, was described as having a passion for young people, as exhibited through her position as director of a church youth program. She received the Robert Vetter and Family Scholarship for $2,000.
Qin Lin of Shelton is a business major at WCSU with a 3.97 GPA and is a member of the Honors Program and Rotaract. She was awarded the Eduard Baruch Memorial Scholarship of $2,000.
Donna Men, who is entering her third year at Western, is the vice president of Rotaract of Western Connecticut and an intern at Praxair. The Danbury resident was one of two WCSU students in the Pathway Leadership program. Next semester she will be studying in China.
“Take the opportunities that come your way. I was afraid as a freshman, but the people at Western pushed me to seize opportunities,” she said. “Always be gracious and kind and remember those who helped you along the way. You never know the impact your kindness will have in someone’s life as it did in mine.”
Three incoming WCSU first-year students, who are all recent graduates of Henry Abbott Technical High School in Danbury, also received scholarships. Nancy Lim was noted for her
volunteering and organization and leadership skills. The accounting major was awarded $2,500
from Union Savings Bank. Iliana Canela, an avid reader, was also awarded $2,500 from USB. Larisa Chetcuti, who was in the top 10 of her graduating class and served as class president and captain of the varsity basketball team, as well as a coach of a Police Athletic League girls’ basketball team, received a $5,000 Danbury Rotary Scholarship.
Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, one of the speakers at the luncheon, told students to think of the people whose names are on the scholarships: “You are carrying a legacy forward and you pay the legacy when you go forward.”