FUSA’s annual “Drive for Five” scholarships were awarded recently to a rising sophomore, junior and senior.
This year’s recipients are Andrew Piper ’08, Aleah Graziano ’07 and Louis Spadaro ’06.
“We didn’t pick the students who are overachievers and joined every club on campus,” said FUSA President Paul Duffy ’05, who is a member of the selection committee. “We picked people who have tried different areas of campus and maximized the potential available to them.”
The “Drive for Five” label stands for the program’s aspiration to raise up to $5,000 per student which began in 1984 when it was created by Francis Kenneally, the president of FUSA at the time.
The scholarship funding is attained through selling babysitter directories to prospective town parents for $15 each. This year, the program was able to raise a total of $9,000. Each scholarship recipient will be awarded $3,000.
During his free time, Piper, a chemistry major, is a singer in the Glee Club, Men’s Ensemble and Chamber singers. He is also a member of the Ski Team, the Cycling Club and the Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) Program.
“I’m positive [the scholarship] will be beneficial to my education,” said Piper, who added that his family would not be able to afford tuition if it weren’t for scholarships. “The monetary assistance will make it easier on my parents to help me attend school next year.”
Spadaro, a marketing major, is also involved in a wide variety of activities ranging from treasurer for the 2006 Class Council to serving as an FYE leader. Spadaro is also an intern for Advest, a brokerage organization in Westport, Conn.
The selection committee also examined the required written essays in order to discover the real personality of each applicant.
“I wrote about something that I am passionate about, that is helping children through volunteering,” said Graziano, a marketing major who juggles co-leadership with the Campus Ministry Caroline House, Best Buddies and the Honors program. “Giving your time to help others is extremely rewarding, and it is my way of trying to personally live the Jesuit ideals and take advantage of the opportunities that are offered at Fairfield,” he said.
Despite emails and announcements made on Stagweb, only about 120 students applied for this scholarship out of a possible 2,432, with roughly 40 applicants from each class.
“The limited number of applications was probably more of a function of the limited time we had to put it together and advertise it,” said Dr. Thomas Pellegrino, assistant director of student activities. “In terms of quality and care of content, the applications were still very exceptional.”
The scholarship is offered on a yearly basis, usually in the first half of each spring semester.
“I want more people to apply next year so that they can be recognized for their accomplishments that they’ve provided for the university,” said Duffy, who expressed concern about the low number of applications.
Once applications are received, the selection committee carefully chooses a handful of names based on the applicants’ essays and involvement. The names are then sent to the department of financial aid where they choose a student from each class based on who has the greatest level of need.
For all three students, the scholarship serves as a reward for their involvement on campus.
“The scholarship is something that I will take with me in future endeavors,” said Spadaro. “It’ll be a remembrance of my participation in the Fairfield University community.”
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