GSA Presents $500,000 to 122 Students, Minus the Fanfare

The Greenwich Scholarship Association has concluded its allocations process and scholarship recipients received their awards at Greenwich High School on Friday, June 14. Each year, GSA matches need-based scholarships from more than 100 local sponsors to help students bridge the gap between rising college costs and their funding resources.


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This year, GSA connected 122 students with scholarships totaling more than $500,000.

This year, instead of a many hours long ceremony in the auditorium, the awards were distributed individually to students over the course of the afternoon in the media center.

Stephanie Ramos who grew up in Greenwich, attending Parkway, Western Middle School. She was awarded $3,700 in scholarships and is excited to study illustration and animation in college in the fall. June 14, 2019 Photo: Leslie Yager

Stephanie Ramos who grew up in Greenwich, attending Parkway, Western Middle School before GHS said she was thrilled to have received multiple scholarships totaling $3,700 as she sat in the media center writing her thank you notes.

“I’m going to my top school,” Stephanie said with a smile. “That is thanks to all the scholarships I got. I’m going to the Maryland Institute College of the Arts and will study illustration and animation.”

“These scholarships are really going to make a huge difference. My family needs all the help they can get and I’m very happy to pitch in for tuition,” she added.

Stephanie received scholarships from The Hopetown Scholarship Fund, The PTA Council Scholarships/Parkway Elementary School and the GSA Charton & Lyman Reynolds Scholarship Fund.

Gianella Anyosa was also busily writing five thank you notes on Friday in the media center. “I received a total of $8,500 in scholarships and I’m going to UConn Storrs. My parents don’t know yet but they will be very happy. It’s so important to us because we’re immigrants,” she said, adding that she moved to Greenwich from Peru with her family when she was five and spoke no English. “I learned English in school at New Lebanon and then Cos Cob.”

“This is our American Dream. I want to pursue a career in medicine and I know it will put a financial burden on my family but they encourage me,” she said. “My parents sacrificed so much for me, I am so grateful to them. And I’m grateful to for these scholarships. They allow me to pursue my dream.”

Gianella said she just completed her senior internship at Greenwich Hospital where she said she worked with nurses for an “eye opening experience.”

“The nurses showed me the actual hospital and I formed some good relationships,” she said.

GSA was founded in 1972 as an umbrella organization to support the administrative needs of nearly 30 separate scholarship funds set up by local community organizations and families. Today, GSA manages scholarships from more than 100 sponsors and its own endowment of over $6.5M. GSA matches qualified students with needed funds without any fee. Awards are allocated based on individual review of each student’s educational costs, financial aid received and family ability to meet costs, including consideration of a written application and a personal interview.

The work of GSA is done by approximately 25 board members who give more than 1,500 volunteer hours each year in administering the application process, reviewing candidates and matching awards to students.

Gianella received the John G. Vrabec Shadow Foundation Scholarsip, the John Zumbo Memorial Scholarship, the Dr. William and Mrs. Eduvina Henningar Memorial Scholarship, the Greenwich Hospital Auxiliary Scholarship and the Millstein/Driscoll Family Scholarship.

More information can be found at www.greenwichscholarship.org.

The GSA been able to fund over $500,000 per year without doing fund-raising. They receive donations each year from local community organizations, civic groups, local businesses and families with memorial awards who have been consistently funding awards, in some cases for 25 or 30 years.

The GSA is privileged to have 110 sponsors who give amounts determined by the sponsor as “named awards” to students meeting their criteria.

GSA has designed a selection process that includes a written application and a personal interview. Because we are an all-volunteer organization with few expenses, we do not charge our sponsors for this service.

The funds are not divided evenly among the qualified recipients. Instead each student receives an amount determined by the cost of his chosen school, the amount of the financial aid offered by that school and the family’s ability to meet the costs of college.

Scholarship funds are sent directly to the college or university where the student will attend.

Students who receive these funds are deserving of assistance when all forms are completed, the personal interview and distribution meeting are attended and the student’s grades, activities and character suggest a worthy investment in the student’s future.


From GSA:

With the generosity of over 100 local sponsors, families and community With the generosity of over 100 local sponsors, families and community organizations, Greenwich Scholarship Association has been awarding organizations, Greenwich Scholarship Association has been awarding
scholarships to graduating seniors since 1973 in the hope of easing the scholarships to graduating seniors since 1973 in the hope of easing the financial burden for qualified expenses (tuition, room, board & financial burden for qualified expenses (tuition, room, board & mandatory fees) in the first year of their undergraduate education. Now mandatory fees) in the first year of their undergraduate education. Now in our 47th year, we continue our tradition by awarding over $500,000 in our 47th year, we continue our tradition by awarding over $500,000 to 122 graduating seniors.

GSA would like to thank the following individuals and families, GSA would like to thank the following individuals and families, organizations, civic groups, and local businesses of the Greenwich organizations, civic groups, and local businesses of the Greenwich community for their support of this year’s graduating seniors. community for their support of this year’s graduating seniors.

RICHARD M. AIDINIS, JR. MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

EDNA ANDERSON MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP sponsored by FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF GREENWICH &  THE GREENWICH EXCHANGE FOR WOMEN’S WORK

JANE C. BAUSMAN MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

MORRIS S. & FLORENCE H. BENDER FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP

FLORENCE BONVENUTO SCHOLARSHIP

JAMES L. BRANCA MEMORIAL – REPUBLICAN TOWN COMMITTEE SCHOLARSHIP

JESSICA LEE BRETT MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

JUSTIN SCOTT BROWN MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

THE BYRAM SCHOLARSHIP

ALAN CAPASSO GHS PTA AWARD

SUSANNAH CHASE MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

CHICKEN JOE’S GHS ATHLETIC SCHOLARSHIPS

THE TOD CLONAN MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FOR ALL-AROUND  EXCELLENCE

THE TOD CLONAN MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FOR ATHLETIC EXCELLENCE