Local Grads Continue to Give Back

Community service is one of the attributes that is highly regarded by the Killingworth Scholarship Association.  Locally, our high school requires a minimum of 30 hours of community-based service with a non-profit organization as a requirement for graduation.  The purpose of this is to expose students to a wide range of experiences, and open their eyes to needs that exist in their community. 

Local graduates have discovered that community service can be quite rewarding as they continue their volunteerism into their college careers.

KSA Kathy Weiss Scholarship recipient Christine Tischbein is a junior, studying Mathematics and Education at Colby College in Waterville, Maine.  She is a member of Colby Cares About Kids, a mentoring program for local elementary school students, and is a leader in the LINK Program, which assists students transitioning to life abroad when they chose to do a semester in another country.  She also is on the planning committee for Relay for Life, which raises awareness and funds for the American Cancer Society.

Another Kathy Weiss Scholarship recipient, Linda Suravich, will graduate in May from Salve Regina University in Newport, R.I., majoring in special and elementary school education.  As a captain of the SRU Dance Club, she has found joy in organizing dance shows to benefit the Andrea Rizzo Foundation, a dance therapy program benefiting children with cancer and special needs.

Class of 2010 HKHS graduate Eric West hit the ground running by flying off to Brigham Young University the day after graduation to begin his summer term.  He studied the Croatian and Serbian languages, and is currently in Croatia as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  In addition to spreading the word about his faith, he is teaching English and doing service projects to benefit the needy. 

University of Rochester freshman Katrina Manzi is a part of five different clubs and ensembles on campus.  She is studying political science with a minor in music.  She recently participated in “Go Hungry for Hunger”, a 30-hour fast to raise hunger awareness.  She recently was elected to the steering committee of the Protestant Chapel Community, whose goals include performing community service and mission work.

Many of our recipients cite the financial assistance they received from scholarship providers s like KSA among the factors that enable them to devote time to community projects.

Katrina Manzi states “because of awards like the KSA’s I do not have to participate in work study to pay tuition, and this has allowed me to focus more on the academic and social aspects of college rather than the financial ones.”   Of Killingworth, she states, “not very many places have a dedicated group of people who raise money every year to help kids in their community go to college.  I think the fact that this award exists is a testament to the wonderful town I live in, and the excellent people that live there."

Donations to the Killingworth Scholarship Association are tax deductible.  Please consider a donation to help further the education of some of our 2011 graduates.

KSA, P.O. Box 653, Killingworth, CT  06419.