The Westfield Foundation is happy to announce Michael Rodriguez as the Clarence H. and Florence Horn Van Dellen Scholarship recipient for 2017. Michael is a third-generation Westfield resident and the first in his family to attend college.
At WHS, Michael was active in the WHS theater program, mainly using his talents working with the backstage crew for various productions. He was also a student government representative. While in high school, Michael worked part-time at a local smoothie establishment, Fresh Bui.
Michael is attending George Washington University in Washington DC., planning on achieving a double major in criminology and psychology. While in HS, his favorite subjects were Psychology, Biology and American Studies. He also admits to be a devotee of Netflix, specifically documentaries. Although Michael will only be a train ride away from home, he remarked he will most miss the people and the beaches of NJ the most.
The Van Dellen Scholarship is $10,000 a year for four years totaling $40,000. The selection criteria for the scholarship are: Community Service, Academic Achievement (top 25% of class), Character, Financial Need and Leadership.
The Westfield Rotary’s Scholarship Committee also administers several scholarships on behalf of the community-based Westfield Foundation. Two top scholarships were awarded in memory of Charles and Florence Wallace totaling $15,000 each to be paid over the course of four years. The recipients are Elizabeth Brown Cordero who will attend the University of Delaware and Christina Harvey who will attend the University of Vermont. The recipient of the $3,000 Scholarship in Memory of Chester A. Gerdes, is Aliya Barnes who will attend San Diego State University. Two Wallace $2,500 scholarships are awarded to Mark Kostyack, who is headed for the Ohio State University and to Allesandra Sabba, who will attend Arcadia University. In addition, two Linda Read Memorial Scholarships of $3,750 each were awarded to Soo Min Chung and Katerina Truch, and the Read Law Scholarship in the amount of $10,000 was awarded to Kerrington Hall.
Over $135,000 was distributed in scholarships to students. Here is a listing of the 2017 Scholarship winners administered through the Westfield Foundation:
Charles Addams Memorial Art Scholarship – Matt Bernstein
Madeleine Wild Bristol Fine Arts Scholarships – Soo Min Chung and Matt Hopen
Robert L. and Marilyn P. Bunting Scholarship – Kathleen Sullivan
Matthew C. Cahill Memorial Scholarship – Stefan Crigler
Class of ’57 and Robert L. and Linda J. Foose Memorial Award – Kevin Womack
Class of ’57 Distinguished Teacher Award – Molly Dennis
Drude Sparre Crane Music Scholarship – Anusha Iyer
Isabella Dodds Scholarship – Cameron Scalera
Bruce G. Dunning Memorial Award – Claire Brennan
Edmund K. Faltermayer Scholarship – Zoe Rader
Charles H. Frankenbach Memorial Scholarship – Philip Zanfagna
Tomas Garcia Memorial Scholarships – Rebekkah Dayon and Cooper Harris
David M. Hart Science Scholarship – Alessandra Sabba
Waldron W. Holck Memorial Scholarship – Brianna Muselli
Andrew H. Karp Memorial Awards – Samantha Della Fera and Emmy Liederman
Nelson A. Keller Memorial Scholarships – Bianca Cammarano and Caroline Schafer
Joel B. Langholtz Memorial Award – Rayanne Elsheriff
Steven L. Lapidus Scholarship – Marie Eisenhauer
Peggy H. and Jeremiah A. Lott Scholarship – Loukas Carayannopoulos
Frank A. and Margaret R. MacPherson Scholarship – Christopher Swingle
Jean M. McDermott Fine Arts Scholarships – Dale Beyert
Helen Bell and John S. McMartin Scholarships – Elizabeth Brown-Cordero and Cameron Scalera
Lisa K. Monteleone Scholarship – Jenna Iorio
Douglas J. Odenkirk Memorial Scholarship – Emma Buckley
Mandeville Rentrop Memorial Scholarships – Brianna Muselli
Joseph E. Rood Memorial Scholarship – Jack Neiswenter
Rachel Mather Sullivan Memorial Scholarship – Matt Hopen
Justina V. Taylor Memorial Scholarship – Christina Harvey
Noel A. and Thelma C. Taylor Memorial Scholarship – Danielle Rinaldi
Liesja Tortorello Memorial Scholarship – Philip Zanfagna
Gail W. Trimble Memorial Scholarships – Haley Nettler
Ruth V. Vincent Fine Arts Scholarships – Charlie Jeckell and Sarah Lincoln
Earl and Helen W. Wyman Scholarship – Aliyah Barnes
Westfield Foundation Matching McCoy Scholarship – Grace Brindle
If you would like to read more about these scholarships given to area students, please click here..