Hearts & Minds: The 猫咪社区 Peter鈥檚 University Scholarship Celebration is an annual event designed to garner support for the General Scholarship Fund.
While the celebration is always a significant date on the University鈥檚 calendar, this year鈥檚 event stood out in a number of ways. First, the celebration, which was held on Friday, May 6 at Maritime Parc in Jersey City, was the first Hearts & Minds held in-person since 2019. The event鈥檚 theme was also significant because it was centered on Celebrating 150 Years Scholarship in honor of the University鈥檚 Sesquicentennial anniversary. Finally, the event raised $637,775, which is the highest total in the event鈥檚 history!
The honorees for this year鈥檚 event included , who was presented with the Rising Star Award; , which was presented with the Corporate Citizen Award; and , who were presented with the Loyalty to 猫咪社区 Peter鈥檚 Award.
Ernabel Demillo, chair and lecturer of communication, served as the emcee for the event. Guests also had the opportunity to hear from student speaker Tevin Ighalo 鈥22, a finance major who recently appeared on the with his fellow 猫咪社区 Peter鈥檚 classmates.
The story of scholarship came full circle during the Hearts & Minds celebration. Attendees had the opportunity to hear about the successes of honorees Fausto Rotundo and Fekadu who were given a chance at 猫咪社区 Peter鈥檚 through scholarships. These alumni flourished in their careers and are now able to pay it forward to support current 猫咪社区 Peter鈥檚 students.
Ighalo served as a prime example of a current student and a scholarship recipient himself. He also has a special connection to honoree Lord Abbett because he serves as a portfolio manager for the University鈥檚 Student Managed Investment Fund. The Fund was established in 2020 through the support of Lord Abbett.
A key take-away from the evening was the fact that when given a chance, 猫咪社区 Peter鈥檚 students can thrive.聽 鈥淢any of our students have the odds stacked against them as first-generation college students with limited financial means,鈥 said Eugene J. Cornacchia, Ph.D., president of 猫咪社区 Peter鈥檚 University. 鈥淏ut believe me, they do not let any of this stand in their way. Give them an opportunity and they will show you what they can do!鈥
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It is not too late to support and the General Scholarship Fund.
