Students and Supporters Celebrate Scholarships at Annual Luncheon

Every fall, exceptional students and generous supporters meet during the Class, Greek and Affinity Scholarship Luncheon, where they celebrate the impact philanthropy has on helping students attend Stevens and achieve their potential.

Approximately 100 guests attended the October 28 gathering, including student scholarship recipients and alumni and friends who support scholarships established by class years, fraternities, sororities or affinity groups like WCPR.

Sara Klein, the assistant vice president for student affairs, served as emcee.

“Scholarships help Stevens recruit bright young minds to Castle Point,” Klein said, “which contributes to our stellar national rankings, and because those students experience a Stevens education, they are in a better position to build fulfilling careers, pursue exciting opportunities, and serve their communities.”

Don Lombardi, a professor in the School of Business and faculty liaison to the Stevens veterans program, shared his experiences in the week leading up to the luncheon with some half dozen scholarship students in the audience, citing their research interests, extracurricular activities and contributions to his classes.

“We have extraordinary people here,” Lombardi said, “The heart of Stevens is a common unity, a selfless one where we look out for each other. We live up to our charter of taking all our combined talents and applying them each and every day to make the world a better place.”

Two scholarship students – Melanie Caba ’19 and Olivia Schreiber ’18 – also spoke, and they each emphasized how scholarships enable them to attend Stevens and focus on their studies, professional development and extracurricular activities while worrying less about taking on debt or working a part-time job with little bearing on their career goals.

“I wouldn’t be at Stevens without the support of scholarships,” said Caba, a biomedical engineering major and student government senator whose parents emigrated from the Dominican Republic. “With a scholarship I have been able to attend the university of my dreams, the one where I knew I would get a rigorous education and help make a difference.”

Schreiber, a chemical biology major, columnist for The Stute, and chair of the honor board, spoke with the perspective of a senior who has seen scholarships help her and many of her classmates over the years. 

“The upward journeys we all face are not the same,” Schreiber said. “Many more students enter Stevens at a different starting point, with much different and perhaps many more external barriers. However, with your continued support, students will not have to sacrifice the rich educational experience Stevens offers to financial burden.”

President Nariman Farvardin concluded the luncheon with encouraging remarks. 

“A central component of our strategic plan is our students,” Farvardin said. “I always remind myself and my colleagues that we have a job because of these young men and women. We come to this university every day and work hard to provide opportunities to these students. It’s the most gratifying experience for a university president.”

See pictures of the Class, Greek and Affinity Scholarship Luncheon on the alumni Flickr page, and learn more about scholarships at Stevens on the alumni website.