West Hartford Students Receive CHET Advance Scholarship

At an uplifting ceremony at the Legislative Office Building recently, State Treasurer Denise L. Nappier recognized 100 high school freshmen and 100 high school seniors as recipients of a CHET 2015 Advance Scholarship of up to $2,500.

The building was abuzz with the excited chatter of families and students, who spoke of their appreciation of receiving the scholarships — an initial $2,000 to the high school freshmen and $2,500 to the seniors. The freshmen have the opportunity to receive an additional $500 if the student’s family saves $500 in a CHET account by the time the student goes to college.

West Hartford residents Henry Haddad, a freshman, and seniors Renzo Corihuaman and Nicholas DiPietro were among the recipients.

“This scholarship is not just about the money, as it tells me that I am seen as having potential for the future of our society,” Aneesh Venuturumilli, a senior at Farmington High School, said. “I will use this money to further my interests in computer science in college . . . This award will give me the motivation to push myself to the highest point and achieve my highest potential.”

Family after family came up to Nappier or other members of the State Treasurer’s Office to express how much the scholarships will help with college expenses.

“You know, as State Treasurer, I never lose sight of the fact that an educated workforce is key to the economic growth and vitality of our state,” Nappier, Trustee of the Connecticut Higher Education Trust (CHET), said in a press release. “That’s why the CHET Advance Scholarship Program is a smart investment in the next generation of Connecticut leaders – economists, teachers, lawyers, doctors and many other professionals, all of whom will be drivers of economic growth.”

Since 2013, the State Treasurer’s Office has awarded $1.5 million in scholarships to 600 Connecticut students through the CHET Advance Scholarship program.

Winners were randomly selected from a pool of 3,263 applicants who hail from 158 public schools, 19 parochial schools, and 23 independent schools in Connecticut. All five congressional districts are represented among the winners.

This brings the total number of applicants since the program’s inception in 2013 to 10,682. The 2015 winners come from 76 towns in all eight counties. Of the winners, 126 are young women; 74 are young men.

For both the freshman and senior winners, the 2015 CHET Advance Scholarship provided 50 awards in each of two categories of schools:

• Category 1: All students who attend a public, private, or parochial Connecticut school other than a school identified by the Connecticut Department of Education as a Review or Turnaround school as of December 2014; or attend a public, private or parochial school outside of Connecticut and either the student or one of the student’s parents resides in Connecticut; or are home-schooled in Connecticut.
• Category 2: All students who attend a Review or Turnaround school. By state law, Review and Turnaround schools are schools subject to intensified supervision and direction by the state Department of Education. These schools receive focused resources to improve the performance of students.

Winning recipients in each category were selected by a random drawing. Also, to ensure there are winners from across the state, no more than 20 winners from each of Connecticut’s five Congressional Districts were selected (10 from each category).

Photo courtesy of Connecticut State Treasurer’s Office