Many of the students at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford who received scholarships had lunch with the donors who established those scholarships during the university’s annual Donor Scholarship Luncheon on Friday.
The annual event, which is in its 22nd year, is one of the university’s most well-attended events – this year more than 160 attended – and gives donors the chance to hear how the scholarships they created helped students ultimately achieve their dream of earning a college degree. The event also gives students the opportunity to thank their benefactors in person.
So far during the 2023-24 academic year, 373 students have received 516 donor scholarships totaling close to $700,000. The average scholarship award is $1,000.
Farhid Negahban, a criminal justice major from Falls Church, Va., who was this year’s student speaker, received the Robert Wick Scholarship.
Negahban, the son of a single mother who was raising two additional children, said he and his family were excited when he received college acceptance letters. However, “the excitement was quickly replaced by concern as the reality of costs set in, threatening to shatter my dreams.”
After talking with Pitt-Bradford’s wrestling coach, “I was presented with a remarkable financial aid package that alleviated the financial burden on my family and I,” Negahban said. “Pitt-Bradford allowed me to pursue my aspirations without the weight of financial constraints.”
Negahban, who is graduating in April, plans to attend the police academy in Fairfax, Va.
“The past four years have been some of the most rewarding,” he added.
Like Negahban, Abby Martin, a business management major from Shrewsbury, said receiving a donor scholarship gave her some financial relief.
Martin, who served as the luncheon’s emcee, received the Cavalline-Evans Scholarship, established by Susan Evans and her late husband, Dr. George Evans.
“Their generous donation helped relieve stress for my mother and me trying to figure out one loan from another.”
When Martin learned she was receiving the scholarship, she said she and her mother “felt a little weight lifted off our shoulders. It’s thanks to Pitt-Bradford and all of our generous donors that make moments like this happen.”
One of the many generous donors is Pete Pantuso ’73-’75, who was the donor speaker at the event. In 2007 Pantuso established the Armeda and Vincent Pantuso Scholarship in honor of his parents. To date, his scholarship has assisted 38 students.
Pantuso, president and CEO of the American Bus Association, said, “Because of the foundation I received at this university, I’ve had a very successful career.”
Pantuso, a Bradford native, named some of the people who helped him when he was a student during Pitt-Bradford’s early years. “We think back to those people who came before us, who gave us an opportunity by helping us.”
“But finding ways to help people who come after us, the thousands of people who will come after us, that’s why we’re here,” he added.
Since last year’s luncheon, several new scholarships and funds have been established, including the William J. Evans MBA Memorial Scholarship, the Jarzab Family Business Fund, and the Donald C. Lewicki Technology Fund.
“Thank you for helping our students realize their dream to earn the prestigious Pitt degree,” said Rick Esch, Pitt-Bradford’s president.
Esch is not only Pitt-Bradford’s president, but he and his wife, Lisa, also are scholarship donors. They established the Violet L. Esch Scholarship in memory of his mother to benefit students studying pre-veterinary medicine, pre-medicine, pre-dental, pre-pharmacy or nursing.
To date, the scholarship has assisted 12 students, including Morgan Minich, a sophomore biology major from Lucinda who sat with Esch and his family at the event.
“You should take great comfort,” Esch said, “in knowing that your scholarships provide a wealth of opportunities for our students.”