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

THIRTEEN NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY RESIDENTS RECEIVE NATIONAL ITALIAN AMERICAN FOUNDATION (NIAF) SCHOLARSHIPS

(WASHINGTON, D.C.—January 8, 2010) Thirteen university students who reside in New York and New Jersey have received National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) Scholarships. The students areKelly Bonacci of Garden City, Elizabeth K. D’Arienzo of East Meadow, Laura Dolce of Jackson Heights, Matthew Frassica, Jane Hardy, Kashmir Hill and Benjamin Mirabelli of New York City,Michael Neglia of West Sayville and Maria Elena Rubino of Staten Island. Students from New Jersey include Brandon Andreola of Flemington, Stephanie Fontini of Asbury, Andrew M. Freddo of Colts Neck, Alexander F. Rubino of Sparta.

“NIAF has awarded $10 million in scholarships and grants across the country since its inception, including more than one million dollars in 2009,” said Hon. Marie L. Garibaldi, co-chair of the NIAF scholarship and grants committee.

NIAF celebrates its 35th anniversary this year. The scholarship program has grown from four scholarships of $250 each to nearly 100 annual scholarships that range from $2,000 to $15,000 each in the humanities, medicine, business, engineering, music, Italian language and culture and other specialized fields.

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 $4,000.

In addition to NIAF’s scholarship program, this year NIAF offered assistance to Italy’s earthquake-stricken region of Abruzzo and Lago del Bosco, an Italian language and cultural immersion camp in the U.S. NIAF also sent college students to Italy’s Lombardy and Liguria regions to participate in the Ambassador Peter F. Secchia Voyage of Discovery program, an educational and cultural initiative, and funded university grants to Italian clubs and cultural and educational grants.

Contributors to the NIAF scholarship program include corporations, individuals and organizations across the U.S. NIAF will consider matching scholarships with other organizations.

Apply online for a 2009-2010 NIAF scholarship at www.niaf.org. Application deadline is March 5, 2010. To establish a NIAF scholarship, contact NIAF Director of Education and Culture Serena Cantoni at 202/939-3111 or serena@niaf.org.

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. Visitwww.niaf.org

NIAF SCHOLARSHIPS TO STUDENTS FROM NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY

• Kelly Bonacci of Garden City, N.Y., has received the Rockland County Golf Tournament Scholarship. Bonacci attends Fordham University and is majoring in engineering.

• Elizabeth K. D’Arienzo of East Meadow, N.Y., has received the Eleanor and Anthony DeFrancis Scholarship Fund Scholarship. D’Arienzo attends Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is majoring in aeronautics and astronautics.

• Laura Dolce of Jackson Heights, N.Y., has received the Salvatore J. Zizza Scholarship. Dolce attends St. John’s University and is majoring in criminal justice.

• Matthew Frassica of New York, N.Y., has received The Case New Holland Scholarship. Frassica attends New York University and is majoring in journalism.

• Jane Hardy of New York, N.Y., has received The Case New Holland Scholarship. Hardy attends New York University and is majoring in journalism.

• Kashmir Hill of New York, N.Y., has received The Case New Holland Scholarship. Hill attends New York University and is pursuing a masters degree in magazine journalism.

• Benjamin Mirabelli of New York, N.Y., has received the Alan Alda Scholarship. Mirabelli attends Yale University and is majoring in mathematics and physics.

• Michael Neglia of West Sayville, N.Y., has received the Rockland County Golf Tournament Scholarship. Neglia attends New York Institute of Technology and is majoring in architecture.

• Brandon Andreola of Flemington, N.J., has received the Piancone Family Agricultural Scholarship. Andreola attends Rensselaer Polythecnic Institute and is majoring in chemical engineering.

• Stephanie Fontini of Asbury, N.J., has received The NIAF Jim Cantalupo Scholarship Fund. Fontini attends The College of New Jersey and is majoring in business.

• Andrew M. Freddo of Colts Neck, N.J., has received the Eleanor and Anthony DeFrancis Scholarship Fund Scholarship. Freddo attends California Institute of Technology and is majoring in chemistry and biology.

• Alexander F. Rubino of Sparta, N.J., has received the Eleanor and Anthony DeFrancis Scholarship Fund Scholarship. Rubino attends Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is majoring in chemical engineering.

• Maria Elena Rubino of Staten Island, N.Y., has received the Salvatore J. Zizza Scholarship. Rubino attends Pace University in New York City and is majoring in Finance and minoring in Italian.