West Orange Scholarship Fund Gives $67K To Local Students For College

WEST ORANGE, NJ — West Orange students earned $67,600 towards their college educations as part of the West Orange Scholarship Fund’s record-setting year in 2016, school administers say.

The West Orange Scholarship Fund (WOSF) awarded a record dollar amount of scholarships for the sixth consecutive year to deserving West Orange High School seniors at the Senior Awards Ceremony held in June, administrators stated in a news release.

A total of 77 graduating seniors received $67,600 via 86 scholarship awards to help fund their future education. Counting this year’s awards, the WOSF has given more than $1.1 million in scholarships awarded since its inception.

Scholarship winners submitted written applications and were chosen in part based upon financial need, academic performance, extracurricular activities and community service, a school news release stated.

“The record amount awarded this year is a tribute to the community’s support and commitment to providing higher education for our West Orange high school students,” said WOSF President Rich Rizzolo.

Awards included prizes from The Nikhil Badlani Foundation, which awarded five scholarships to need-based graduating seniors who demonstrated strong academic achievement and have participated in music or drama, and funds raised by Don and Lisa Shauger, which allowed the WOSF to issue four scholarships in memory of West Orange Police Officer Timothy Groves.

Other sponsors included Kessler Institute, the McKeon and Parisi families, the West Orange Women’s Club, Provident Bank, Sodexho Food Services, West Orange Rotary, the West Orange Chamber of Commerce, Towne Realty and the Bligh family, school officials said.

In addition to the awards distributed by the WOSF, several other local awards were given out during the June ceremony, including one to WOHS Senior Marshall Lipsey, who received a $191,000 U.S. Army ROTC scholarship to attend Syracuse University.

Lipsey will participate in the ROTC program at SU and commit to the Army following graduation, school officials said.

Applications for all awards are available each year through the WOHS guidance department and announced at the Senior Awards Ceremony held in late May or early June.

Photo: Cynthia Cumming

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