While life is often fast-paced, the arrival of the Thanksgiving season often causes one to pause and reflect upon the blessings of the previous year. The official holiday is still more than a month away, but students at Saint Peter’s University celebrated Thanksgiving a little earlier this year during the Fourth Annual Scholarship Information Session Luncheon on October 9 in The Duncan Family Sky Room at the Mac Mahon Student Center. Approximately 110 freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors took the time to give thanks to those who have played a tremendous role in their success – the University’s scholarship donors.
To express their gratitude to these benefactors, students wrote thank you notes, putting into words their feelings of appreciation for the opportunity to attend Saint Peter’s.
For Jessica Reyes ’14, receiving The Richard J. Flanagan Endowed Scholarship has brought her one step closer to realizing her “American dream” of being employed within international business and trade. Her parents, who immigrated to the United States from Mexico, wanted Reyes to realize her full potential in life. “I come from a family of immigrants, so I’m the first to go to college,” she said. “My parents didn’t know anything about financial aid or other types of educational assistance, so this scholarship is a big help for my education. Receiving a scholarship is definitely a way of motivating students to pursue their career and personal endeavors.”
Reyes is now in her senior year at the University, and well on the way to realizing her goals. “My parents always told me, ‘We came to this country for you to be something, not to follow our path,’” she said. “That and this scholarship have been reminders for me to not give up.”
And to the benefactor who funds The Richard J. Flanagan Endowed Scholarship, she would simply say thank you. “This is a clear example that you don’t need to know someone in order to help them.”
Ivana Grbelja ’14 was awarded the Saint Peter’s Jesuit Community Merit Scholarship for all four years of her Saint Peter’s education, something that has alleviated a lot of her financial stress. “I’m from Canada and schools in the U.S. are a lot more expensive. This scholarship gives me the opportunity to be here, and every little bit helps.”
Erica Gentile ’17 is the daughter of a former Saint Peter’s student. “My mom attended the University for nursing,” she said. “She enjoyed Saint Peter’s during her time here and wanted me to attend the University.” Thanks to The William J. Mulcahy, S.J. Scholarship Fund, Gentile was able to do just that.
“What I’m not spending on tuition I’m spending on books,” she said. “My mom is a single parent, so every little bit counts.”
Before enrolling at a college, Gentile was concerned about increasing tuition and student loan interest rates. The William J. Mulcahy, S.J. Scholarship allows her to focus on her studies without financial worries. “Even though he’s passed on, there are still students benefitting from his legacy,” she said.
In keeping with the Jesuit values of Magis and “men and women for others,” scholarship recipient Cassandra Demosthenes ’14 is already thinking of ways to pay it forward. “I’m very grateful to have been chosen as a Bastek Endowed Scholarship recipient,” she said. “Knowing someone took their time and income to focus on undergraduate students is very moving. I value that because I wish to do the same after I pursue a career in medicine.”
Currently in his first year at Saint Peter’s University, Daniel Neff ’15 was awarded The Rendich Trust Endowed Scholarship. The transfer student from Brookdale Community College is studying theology, and is extremely grateful for his scholarship. “I would have to get a lot more loans, so this definitely relieved stress and pressure, especially after graduation.”
While the name of each scholarship varied, each student had the same thing to say to the benefactors who provide them: thank you. These students are already on the path to success, but many still need financial assistance to obtain an education. For more information on how to fund a scholarship, contact the Office of Advancement and External Affairs at (201) 761-6123.