Two New Britain High School Graduates
Earn Community Foundation Scholarships

Ronald F. Gilrain Scholarships Awarded to Students Attending CCSU
New Britain, Conn. (August 16, 2010) – Two residents of New Britain, who will enter Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) in the fall, have been awarded the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain’s Ronald F. Gilrain/EOP Scholarship. The students are Sylwia Szumska, a recent graduate of New Britain High School, who plans to major in Nursing, and Karen Maisonet, a recent graduate of the Pathways to Technology Magnet School, Windsor, Connecticut, who will major in Psychology.

The Ronald F. Gilrain Scholarship provides financial assistance to recent high school graduates who are residents of New Britain who have successfully completed the summer Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) at CCSU, designed for students who have the potential to successfully perform at the college level, but who may not meet regular admission standards.

The scholarship was established by the Community Foundation to honor the memory of its former board chair, a long-time executive with The Stanley Works who passed away in 2008. Mr. Gilrain was instrumental in establishing the criteria for the scholarship fund to help young people overcome cultural barriers and to provide the additional support they need to succeed in life.  The Ronald F. Gilrain Scholarships are funded by the CFGNB’s Scholarship Fund along with donated funds by the Gilrain family.

The Community Foundation has 36 named scholarship funds and to-date this year awarded more than $125,000 in scholarship grants to 56 students from Berlin, New Britain, Plainville, Southington and beyond, helping them to pursue higher education in a variety of fields ranging from education to biology to nursing to business.