SIX DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA METROPOLITAN AREA RESIDENTS RECEIVE NATIONAL ITALIAN AMERICAN FOUNDATION (NIAF) SCHOLARSHIPS

(WASHINGTON, D.C.—January 8, 2010) Six university students who reside in the District of Columbia metropolitan area have received National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) Scholarships. The students are Jordan Brown of Washington, DC, Kelleigh Cosentino of Gaithersburg, Karson Leperiof Rockville, Christian Lombardi of Brookeville, Francis Petruccelli of Rockville and Chiara Tanzi of Rockville, Md.

“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 THE WASHINGTON, DC METROPOLITAN AREA

• Jordan Brown of Washington, DC, has received the Lido Club of Washington, DC Scholarship. Brown attends Wesleyan University and is majoring in chemistry.

• Kelleigh Cosentino of Gaithersburg, Md., has received the Lido Club of Washington, DC Scholarship. Cosentino attends Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and is majoring ininternational relations/affairs.

• Karson Leperi of Rockville, Md., has received the Lido Club of Washington, DC Scholarship. Leperi attends The University of South Carolina and is majoring in chemical engineering.

• Christian Lombardi of Brookeville, Md., has received the Lido Club of Washington, DC Scholarship. Lombardi attends Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and is majoring in engineering.

• Francis Petruccelli of Rockville, Md., has received the Lido Club of Washington, DC Scholarship. Petruccelli attends Benedictine College and is majoring in English.

• Chiara Tanzi of Rockville, Md., has received the Lido Club of Washington, D.C. Scholarship. Tanzi attends University of Maryland-College Park and is majoring in foreign languages.