FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:   Elissa Ruffino (NIAF) 202/939-3106 or elissa@niaf.org

Eight university students who reside in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area have received National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) Scholarships. The students are Martina Costagliola of Millersville, Md., Tiziano D’Affuso of North Potomac, Md., Daniel Evans of Germantown, Md., Laura Jones of Clarksville, Md., Carlo St. Regis of Gaithersburg, Md., Natalie Eichner of Arlington, Va., Amy Grudier of Falls Church, Va., and Christina Iovino of McLean, Va.

“NIAF has awarded millions of dollars in merit-based scholarships and cultural grants across the country since its inception. NIAF’s leadership is extremely proud of the high caliber of our scholarship students and their outstanding achievements,” said NIAF President and COO John M. Viola.

NIAF celebrates its 39th anniversary this year. The Foundation’s scholarship program has grown from four scholarships of $250 each to dozens of annual scholarships ranging in value from $2,000 to $10,000 each in the humanities, medicine, engineering, business, music, Italian language and culture, and other specialized fields.

NIAF scholarship winners are selected based on academic merit and are academically outstanding with an average GPA of 3.95. The average scholarship in the United States was more than $3,000.

In addition to NIAF’s scholarship program, this year NIAF sent college students to Italy’s Calabria Region to participate in the Ambassador Peter F. Secchia Voyage of Discovery program, an educational and cultural initiative.

Contributors to the NIAF scholarship program include individuals, corporations and organizations across the United States.

Apply online for a 2014-2015 NIAF scholarship at www.niaf.org/scholarships. Application deadline is March 1, 2014. NIAF scholarship winners will be announced on May 16, 2014 online.

For more information on establishing a NIAF scholarship, contact Gabriella Mileti at gmileti@niaf.org.

NIAF SCHOLARSHIPS TO STUDENTS FROM D.C. METRO AREA
• Martina Costagliola of Millersville, MD, has received the Lido Civic Club Matching Scholarship. Costagliola attends Swarthmore College and is majoring in Engineering.

• Tiziano D’Affuso of North Potomac, MD, has received the Lido Civic Club Matching Scholarship. D’Affuso attends University of Maryland – College Park and is majoring in Theatre.

• Daniel Evans of Germantown, MD, has received the Lido Civic Club Matching Scholarship. Evans attends Lycoming College and is majoring in Criminal Justice.

• Laura Jones of Clarksville, MD, has received the Abruzzo Molise Heritage Society Scholarship. Jones attends University of Maryland – College Park and is majoring in Italian Language and Culture.

• Carlo St. Regis of Gaithersburg, MD, has received the Lido Civic Club Matching Scholarship. St. Regis attends University of Maryland – College Park and is majoring in Engineering.

• Natalie Eichner of Arlington, VA, has received the Lido Civic Club Matching Scholarship. Eichner attends University of Virginia and is majoring in Kinesiology and Biology.

• Amy Grudier of Falls Church, VA, has received the Lido Civic Club Matching Scholarship. Grudier attends Cedarville University and is majoring in Nursing.

• Christina Iovino of McLean, VA, has received the Abruzzo Molise Heritage Society Scholarship. Iovino attends University of Virginia and is majoring in International Business.

The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) is a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., and dedicated to preserving the heritage of Italian Americans. Visit www.niaf.org.