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Recent graduate Mafatta Janeh leaning with arms folded and her hand on her chin in a black suit jacket
Recent graduate Alex Alberti standing in a navy suit and blue dress shirt
Rising sophomore Julia Jureidini leaning with arms crossed in an olive-colored dress blouse

When Opportunity
& Promise Meet

The O鈥橳oole Family Presidential Scholarship delivers on its promise

BY COLLEEN DONNELLY

Rising senior Erika Llivicota-Guaman standing in a blue career dress with white blazer
Rising junior Keith Mathews with hands folded in a blue linen suit jacket and white dress shirt
Rising senior Anthony Freay tying his sneaker in tan khakis, a blue dress shirt and patterned tie
Sheydline Moise wearing a black headwrap in a pinstripe blouse and black slacks

The O鈥橳oole Family Presidential Scholarship delivers on its promise

BY COLLEEN DONNELLY

Amid the camera flashes, hugs and cheers on Commencement day, Polly and Terry O鈥橳oole VSB 鈥�80 beamed with pride at their two graduates. Alex Alberti 鈥�19 COE and Mafatta Janeh 鈥�19 CLAS aren鈥檛 their children, but they are undoubtedly part of the O鈥橳oole legacy at 奶糖直播.

In 2013, the couple committed to a $10 million gift to establish the endowed O鈥橳oole Family Presidential Scholarship鈥娾�斺�夾lex and Mafatta were the first recipients. 鈥淭his day is a dream come true for us. We couldn鈥檛 be prouder to have you be the first O鈥橳oole Scholars to graduate from 奶糖直播,鈥� Terry O鈥橳oole told the graduates as they shared brunch together. 鈥淗opefully you鈥檙e the first of 100 to come through this program.鈥�

This unique promise scholarship model鈥� the first of its kind at 奶糖直播鈥娾�斺�奼ives two high-potential, high-achieving high school sophomores from the Archdiocese of Newark , N.J., the opportunity to attend 奶糖直播 with all expenses paid for four years.

鈥淲hen opportunity and promise meet, a spark is created,鈥� explains J. Leon Washington, 奶糖直播鈥檚 dean of Enrollment Management. 鈥淭he vision was to look for young persons who had promise but who may not have encountered this type of opportunity.鈥� That vision belonged to Washington鈥檚 predecessor, the late Stephen Merritt 鈥�78 CLAS, who came up with the idea when the O鈥橳ooles approached him with their desire to do something different and distinctive.

鈥淯nfortunately Mr. Merritt passed away our freshman year, so he didn鈥檛 get to see it come to fruition,鈥� Alex says. 鈥淏ut he helped get it started, which I am really thankful for because a scholarship like this is immeasurable. This moment has been seven years in the making, and it feels like only yesterday I was interviewing for it.鈥�

Wearing his regalia, Alex Alberi receives a graduation gift from Polly and Terry O鈥橳oole

Polly and Terry O鈥橳oole VSB 鈥�80 catch up with O鈥橳oole Scholar graduate Alex Alberti 鈥�19 COE and present him with a personal gift on graduation day.

PHOTO: JIM McWILLIAMS

鈥�We couldn鈥檛 be prouder to have you be the first O鈥橳oole Scholars to graduate from 奶糖直播. Hopefully you鈥檙e the first of 100 to come through this program.鈥�

Terry O鈥橳oole 鈥�80 VSB

In Their Words

Headshot of recent graduate Mafatta Janeh

Mafatta Janeh 鈥�19 CLAS

Major: Biology

鈥淚 want to combine my love for science with my desire to help underserved communities. The opportunity that was given to me doesn鈥檛 happen to the average person, and so to be able to use what I was given and complete what the O鈥橳ooles wanted is so valuable to me.鈥�

Headshot of recent graduate Alex Alberti

Alexander Alberti 鈥�19 CLAS

Major: Civil Engineering

鈥淓very day in high school, we'd pass by low-income housing that looked like container boxes stacked on top of each other. I felt like it wasn鈥檛 fair鈥攅veryone should have the decency of growing up in a home they can be proud to live in. That's what gave me the idea to be an engineer鈥攅ventually I'd like to design low-income housing that does that.鈥�

Headshot of rising senior Anthony Freay

Anthony Freay 鈥�20 CLAS

Majors: Computer Science and Psychology

鈥淎s both a first-generation American and college student, my mother鈥檚 comfortability in 奶糖直播 was a huge factor in my decision to attend. Her sacrifices and support have gotten me where I am today and come spring 2020, I will be the first in my family to graduate鈥攖he culmination of her American Dream.鈥�

Headshot of rising senior Erika Llivicota-Guaman

Erika Llivicota-Guaman 鈥�20 VSB

Majors: Accounting and Finance

鈥淚鈥檓 the first one in my family to go to college. Simply having the opportunity to go to college is something I wouldn鈥檛 have had in Ecuador where I was born鈥擨 feel blessed to have this opportunity that many people don鈥檛 have.鈥�

Headshot of rising junior Keith Mathews

Keith Mathews 鈥�21 CLAS

Major: History

鈥淓ven though 奶糖直播 is fairly big in terms of enrollment, you don't feel like a statistic, you feel like a person, which is a really big deal for me. My professors are really approachable, and I know it's always an option to talk with them.鈥�

Headshot of rising sophomore Julia Jureidini

Julia Jureidini 鈥�22 VSB

Major: Accounting

鈥淚 always want to be that person鈥攆or other O鈥橳oole Scholars鈥� who鈥檚 approachable, who鈥檚 visible, who鈥檚 available, who can show them the way.鈥�

Headshot of rising sophomore Sheyldine Moise

Sheydline Moise 鈥�22 CLAS

Major: Communication

鈥淚 would love to give back in the future. I would really love to go back to my high school in my hometown and provide them with the kind of opportunity that I have because a lot of them have the capability but they just don't have somebody to believe in them.鈥�

Identifying the Spark

Just two weeks after Alex and Mafatta became the first O鈥橳oole Scholar alumni, six finalists began the same interview process to follow in their footsteps.

The O鈥橳ooles aren鈥檛 involved in the actual selection of the students who receive the scholarship鈥娾�斺�奱nd that鈥檚 the way they designed it. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a completely University-run program,鈥� Polly O鈥橳oole says. 鈥淎 selection committee interviews the students, and they make the hard choices about who will receive the scholarships.鈥�

With so many factors and promising candidates to consider, 奶糖直播 established the multidisciplinary committee to represent several academic and co-curricular departments critical in supporting the recipients throughout their transition to and arrival at 奶糖直播:

  • University Admission: Director Michael Gaynor
  • University Career Center: Executive Director Kevin Grubb, assistant vice provost of Professional Development
  • Center for Access, Success and Achievement: Nicole Davis, associate director of Retention and Outreach Counseling
  • Diversity and Inclusion: Associate Vice Provost Teresa Nance, PhD, chief diversity officer
  • Enrollment Management: Dean Leon Washington and Vice Dean Cathy Connor
  • Honors Program: Thomas Smith, PhD, Anne Quinn Welsh Director

鈥淏esides the generosity of the O鈥橳ooles, I think the team effort and composition of our selection committee is one of the major keys to the success of the scholarship,鈥� Connor says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e making sure the scholars are supported from start to finish: academically, economically, emotionally and socially.鈥�

This year, the committee received 19 nomination letters from 11 high schools in the Archdiocese of Newark鈥攁 record high in the seven years they鈥檝e been doing this. They met in early May to narrow the pool down to fewer than 10 applicants, looking at the principal鈥檚 nomination letter, PSAT scores, report cards, rigorous courses, extracurriculars and the personal essays each applicant has to write.

In addition to measurable factors like grades and test scores, nuanced non-cognitive skills like leadership, grit, critical thinking and tenacity weigh heavily in their decision. 鈥淭hese students bring huge advantages,鈥� Dr. Smith says. 鈥淭hey bring a different perspective in our classes鈥娾�斺�奱 different set of questions, a different set of experiences, a different set of challenges they鈥檝e overcome in their lives, and everyone in the class learns from that.鈥�

By the Numbers

$10 million

endowed scholarship gift

7 multidisciplinary members

serve on the O鈥橳oole Selection Committee

4 high school students

from the Archdiocese of Newark selected as scholarship recipients

7 O鈥橳oole Scholars

currently enrolled at 奶糖直播

2 alumni

O鈥橳oole Scholars graduated

Paying It Forward

On his first day at 奶糖直播鈥檚 School of Business, Terry O鈥橳oole 鈥�80 VSB received an invitation from Dean Al Clay to step into his office. The intimidating request came with reassuring words. 鈥淗e said, 鈥橸ou鈥檙e one of our first Presidential Scholars in the business school, and we want to make sure we do this thing right,鈥欌�� O鈥橳oole recalls.

A former accountant with a formal exterior, Dean Clay proved to be a supportive mentor who watched out for O鈥橳oole over the next four years. After graduation, O'Toole received another invite to the dean鈥檚 office鈥娾�斺�妕his time, he was surprised to receive a card with a personal check from Dean Clay. 鈥淚t was his graduation gift to me,鈥� O鈥橳oole says. 鈥淗e was proud of me, and he really cared.鈥�

O鈥橳oole went on to a successful Wall Street career at Goldman Sachs and several private investment firms before founding his own, Macanta. Dean Clay's gesture and his gratitude for the full scholarship he received stuck with him. Over the years, O'Toole has given back to 奶糖直播 in just about every conceivable way. As he finished his tenure as chairman of the University鈥檚 Board of Trustees and took on the role of co-chair of 奶糖直播鈥檚 capital campaign in 2012, he wanted to do something different and distinctive.

Residents of Short Hills, N.J., just 12 miles outside of Newark, O鈥橳oole and his wife, Polly, have been very involved for years with the , an organization that raises money and provides assistance to students attending school in the Archdiocese of Newark from first grade to high school. 鈥淲ith Terry鈥檚 love for 奶糖直播 and desire to give back, we thought creating an endowment scholarship tied to the SFIC program would be a great thing,鈥� Polly O鈥橳oole says.

The late Stephen Merritt 鈥�78 CLAS, who was 奶糖直播鈥檚 dean of Enrollment Management at the time, came up with the idea of a promise scholarship that would identify academically high-achieving SFIC students with leadership ability early in their high school careers and support them in their transition to 奶糖直播. That promise came to fruition this past May, with the first two O鈥橳oole Family Presidential Scholar graduates to complete the program. With 11 more students following in their footsteps, the future looks promising, too.

鈥淥ne of my hopes for the program would be that we inspire other alumni to create similar programs in other cities鈥娾�斺�妋y dream would be to have two O鈥橳oole Scholars from the Archdiocese in Newark, and then someone else endows scholars from Boston and Chicago and Philadelphia and so on,鈥� O鈥橳oole says. 鈥淭he most fulfilling gifts of all are the endowment gifts that allow promising students who otherwise couldn't afford it to get an education. That鈥檚 what it鈥檚 all about.鈥�

Polly and Terry O鈥橳oole smiling in front of stained glass windows in the chapel

Polly and Terry O鈥橳oole VSB 鈥�80, founders of the O鈥橳oole Family Presidential Scholarship Program

PHOTOS: JOHN SHETRON

Just the Beginning

The committee gets an even better sense of each finalist when they meet for an intensive full-day interview in Newark at the Archdiocese headquarters. While the students are interviewing, Grubb and Connor talk to the parents about 奶糖直播 and the college process in general.

鈥淔or these parents to get their students to a Catholic high school in the Archdiocese, they鈥檝e already made tremendous commitments, and you just see that love for their kids when they鈥檙e asking questions,鈥� Connor says.

There鈥檚 one question she gets every year: 鈥淪omeone will say, 鈥楨xplain this again鈥娾�斺�妕hese people are really willing to pay for two students to go to 奶糖直播 full time for four years?鈥欌�� Connor says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to comprehend.鈥�

The committee reconvenes on campus to deliberate and select the next two scholars from that group. 鈥淚t鈥檚 such a diverse, broad committee that we have a good feel for whether a particular individual is likely to flourish on our campus,鈥� Washington says. 鈥淭hese young women and men have developed excellent critical-thinking skills from their life experiences. And you get that sense of, 鈥極h boy, there鈥檚 a leader here in the making.鈥欌��

At many schools, that would be the end of the process, but at 奶糖直播, it鈥檚 just the beginning. With decades of experience in admissions, Merritt was convinced that opportunity alone doesn鈥檛 guarantee success鈥攊t needs to come with the right support.

鈥�What makes this scholarship unique is that you build a relationship with the donors as well as all the people involved in the scholarship selection.鈥�

Erika Llivicota-Guaman 鈥�20 VSB

Upon selection of the newest scholars, 奶糖直播 works with each of their respective high schools and meets with the students two to three times a year to get them thinking early about what they need to do to prepare for college and what they need to do to stay on track.

鈥淲hat makes this scholarship unique is that you build a relationship with the donors as well as all the people involved in the scholarship, and they鈥檙e always there whenever you need them,鈥� says Erika Llivicota-Guaman 鈥�20 VSB, who鈥檚 entering her senior year at 奶糖直播.

Upon graduation from high school, the students are accepted into 奶糖直播 University as Presidential Scholars. This year, for the first time, the O鈥橳oole Presidential Scholarship pipeline is full鈥攆rom four high school students preparing for their future at the University, to seven current 奶糖直播 students and now two alumni who have completed the program.

鈥淭he goal is for this program to exist long after we鈥檙e gone and hopefully just keep self-generating and growing and building this family of O鈥橳oole Scholars,鈥� Terry O鈥橳oole says. 鈥淚t would be great in 15 years to look back and see that we have 30 or 40 students who have gone through the program and the older ones are helping to mentor the younger ones, shaping future generations of scholars at 奶糖直播.鈥� 鈼硷笌

From Day One to Graduation Day

The transition from high school to college can be a challenging one, especially making a move to 奶糖直播 from Newark, N.J., where a quarter of families live below the poverty line. 鈥淭his scholarship isn鈥檛 just paying the bills; it's more than that,鈥� says Teresa Nance, Ph.D., associate vice provost for Diversity and Inclusion and chief diversity officer at 奶糖直播. 鈥淲e鈥檙e taking care of the whole student, thinking both on the macro level and also on the personal level.鈥�

At the deepest layer of that personal level is Nicole Davis, associate director of Retention and Outreach Counseling in the Center for Access, Success and Achievement. She is part of the unique support system that begins for the O鈥橳oole Scholars as soon as they鈥檙e selected in their sophomore year of high school.

鈥淣icole takes mentorship to a different level. It鈥檚 hard to put everything she does into words because it鈥檚 all-encompassing,鈥� says Polly O鈥橳oole. Davis goes to Newark twice a year to meet with each student throughout their junior and senior years, ensuring that they have the right courses they鈥檒l need to succeed at 奶糖直播, identifying summer programs and prep courses that may ease the transition, and answering the questions they might be hesitant to ask.

鈥淗aving a history with them and knowing them from high school is so key in building a relationship with them,鈥� Davis says. 鈥淏efore they even walk in the door, they know, 鈥業 have someone I can reach out to at any time.鈥欌��

That relationship continues to evolve when they arrive at 奶糖直播, where Davis meets with them twice a month. 鈥淚鈥檝e known Miss Davis since I was 15. We talk about everything. How鈥檚 school going? How are you? How鈥檚 your stress level?鈥� says Shedyline Moise 鈥�22 CLAS. 鈥淪he鈥檚 like my mother on campus.鈥�

Davis has helped students come out of their shell, transition through homesickness, join new clubs, discover their interests. 鈥淚 ask them, 鈥榃hat do you love? What are you passionate about?鈥欌�� she says. 鈥淚 encourage them to take advantage of the full experience a scholarship like this offers.鈥�

Recent graduates Alex Alberti and Mafatta Janeh in regalia with mentor and O鈥橳oole Scholar Committee Member Nicole Davis

Nicole Davis, associate director of Retention and Outreach Counseling in the Center for Access, Success and Achievement, with the first two O'Toole Scholar alumni, Alex Alberti 鈥�19 COE and Mafatta Janeh 鈥�19 CLAS.

PHOTO: JIM McWILLIAMS

O鈥橳oole Scholar Committee Member Dr. Teresa Nance shakes hands with O鈥橳oole Scholar Jonathan Marte
Rising sophomore Julia Jureidini smiling in conversation at the O鈥橳oole Scholar Luncheon
Polly and Terry O鈥橳oole talking with incoming O鈥橳oole Scholars Jonathan Marte and Bryan Barahona at the O鈥橳oole Luncheon

(From left) In April, scholarship recipients Bryan Barahona and Jonathan Marte and their families spent the day on 奶糖直播's campus for the annual O'Toole Scholar luncheon. Finishing up her freshman year at 奶糖直播, O鈥橳oole Scholar Julia Jureidini 鈥�22 VSB was excited to welcome the newest scholarship recipients to campus.

PHOTOS: PAUL CRANE

A Community of Scholars

Just as the scholarship recipients begin building a relationship with 奶糖直播 as soon as they鈥檙e selected, they also become a part of the O鈥橳oole Scholar community right away. Almost immediately, they begin developing connections with the O鈥橳oole Selection Committee, the other O鈥橳oole Scholars and donors Polly and Terry O鈥橳oole 鈥�80 VSB.

鈥淥ne of the great things about working in a program like this is you get to meet these students in high school. You get to see their potential and watch it unfold,鈥� says Thomas Smith, PhD, Anne Quinn Welsh Director of the Honors Program.

In their junior year of high school, the scholarship recipients come to 奶糖直播鈥檚 campus in the spring with their families for a luncheon with the current O鈥橳oole Scholars, members of the selection committee, Provost Patrick G. Maggitti, PhD, and University President the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD, 鈥�75 CLAS. They tour the campus, talk about expectations and explore the resources that will be available to them.

鈥淲hen I was at the luncheon this year meeting the next generation of O鈥橳oole Scholars, I couldn鈥檛 believe it鈥檚 only been two years since I was sitting on the other side of the table,鈥� says Julia Jureidini 鈥�22 VSB. 鈥淚 was so excited to help out with their tour of campus and talk about my experience with 奶糖直播 because that luncheon really stood out to me as a high school student鈥娾�攊鈥妕 was just one of those amazing moments where I realized, 鈥榃ow, this is really happening, and it鈥檚 such an honor to be here.鈥欌��

In addition to this annual luncheon, the O鈥橳ooles catch up and chat with the scholars at events throughout the year, including 奶糖直播鈥檚 Endowed Scholar Dinner and the Scholarship Fund for Inner-City Children Annual Gala at the Archdiocese Center in Newark.

鈥淵ou鈥檙e getting to know the people who are benefiting from your gift, and, as a donor, that鈥檚 a tremendous thing,鈥� Terry O鈥橳oole says. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 really get any better than that.鈥�

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Opening Doors

The O鈥橳oole Presidential Scholarship Program, seven years after its founding, celebrated a milestone this year as the first O鈥橳oole Scholars graduated. Many 奶糖直播ns have stepped forward over the years to open the doors to a 奶糖直播 education for thousands of students, and several of those scholarship programs have also recently celebrated milestones.

James C. Curvey Endowed Scholarship

Now in its 20th year, the Curvey Scholarship and Fellowship Program was created by James Curvey 鈥�57 VSB for students from Schuylkill County, Pa., where Curvey grew up. In addition to scholarship funds to attend 奶糖直播, Curvey Scholars receive a fellowship to travel anywhere in the world after graduation. To date, 43 Curvey Scholars have graduated from the program.

Connelly-Delouvrier International Scholars Program

Funded by the Connelly Foundation in memory of Judith Connelly-Delouvrier, who died in the crash of TWA Flight 800 in 1996, the Connelly-Delouvrier International Scholars Program has supported semester-long international study abroad trips for Honors Program students for the past 20 years. Fifteen years ago, the program was expanded to offer international health care experiences for Nursing students. More than 1,000 students have benefitted from the programs.

Anthony Randazzo Endowed Presidential Scholarship

Tony Randazzo 鈥�65 COE and his wife, Marge, established the Anthony Randazzo Endowed Presidential Scholarship in support of underrepresented students from Philadelphia who demonstrate academic achievement or promise. The Randazzo Scholarship now provides full tuition, room, board and fees for one student per class year. Forty-seven recipients have been supported by the program over the past 25 years.

Herbert G. Rammrath International Scholarships

The Herbert G. Rammrath Endowed Fund for Global Initiatives and International Scholarships provides financial resources to support international students attending VSB as well as outgoing VSB students鈥� participation in a study abroad experience. In the last decade, Herbert G. Rammrath 鈥�57 VSB has provided more than $350,000 in scholarship funding for more than 200 students, including 36 international students from nine countries and students studying abroad in 25 countries.

Philadelphia Futures

奶糖直播 will welcome its first cohort of Philadelphia Futures Scholars this fall. With support from the Lenfest Foundation, three Philadelphia students will receive full-tuition scholarships to 奶糖直播, and the program will grow over the coming years to include 12 scholars enrolled annually. The University will also provide stipends for these students to study abroad, conduct research and access other experiential learning activities.

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