![\"Neag](\"https:\/\/education.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1621\/2021\/09\/NEAGWEBGRAPHIC2021-400x267.png\")
This past week, UConn\u2019s Neag School of Education held its annual Scholarship Celebration to commemorate the students who have benefitted, financially and personally, from the generosity of numerous donors. Students highlighted their personal experiences and gave thanks to the individuals who helped them turn their educational dreams into reality.<\/p>\n
The virtual ceremony was hosted by Jason G. Irizarry<\/a>, the Neag School of Education dean, who began the celebration by shedding light on how impactful these scholarships are to students and the entire Neag School community.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are here to congratulate this year\u2019s deserving student scholarship recipients \u2014 tomorrow\u2019s education researchers, sport management professionals, teachers, and school leaders,\u201d he said. \u201cAt the same time, this event would not take place without our generous donors; they are the individuals who help make our students\u2019 educational journeys here at the Neag School possible.\u201d<\/p>\n This past year alone, the Neag School distributed more than $267,000 in scholarship aid to deserving students.<\/p>\n Brianna Chance, an undergraduate pursuing an Integrated Bachelor\u2019s\/Master\u2019s degree in music education, is one of this year\u2019s student scholarship recipients. Through a difficult upbringing, Chance turned to music to distract her from what was happening in her personal life; however, this distraction quickly turned into a passion. Nonetheless, Chance says she had always felt college was a distant dream until she arrived at UConn and found her place.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I began attending UConn, I discovered the importance of a chosen family,\u201d she said. \u201cMy professors, advisors, and classmates emulated this supportive familial structure I was not privy to.\u201d<\/p>\n Not only has her scholarship helped her financially, but it has also allowed her to allot less time to work and more time to endeavors that truly interest her.<\/p>\n \u201cAs I embark on my third year at the University of Connecticut, my heart is overwhelmed with the amount of love I have received thus far,\u201d said Chance. \u201cThree years ago, I could not have predicted that I would be conducting activism on campus, running a volunteer organization to support independent students, serving as a mentor for my fellow UConn Huskies, and excelling in my studies.\u201d<\/p>\n Carmen Effron \u201981 MBA, a benefactor and dedicated member of the Neag School Dean\u2019s Board of Advocates<\/a>, was able to join the Scholarship Celebration and share her personal story on why helping students is so important to her and her family.<\/p>\n Her father, an Italian immigrant, had to return to the first grade upon arriving in America to learn English. He later received his BA and MA degree from Boston College in education and eventually became a teacher. Unfortunately, he passed away when Effron was 18 years old.<\/p>\n \u201cThe one thing that was incredibly unexpected and a terrific way of honoring my dad was that the faculty at Woodbury High, which is where he spent the last 17 years of his career, put together a memorial scholarship for myself and my four sisters,\u201d she said. \u201cIt made me feel special and pleased and happy that someone was taking the time to look out for us.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Brianna](\"https:\/\/education.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1621\/2021\/09\/ChanceBrianna_web-267x400.jpg\")
Paying It Forward<\/strong><\/h2>\n