Recipients of the 2016 James F. Swift Scholarships administered by the Scranton Area Foundation include, front row, from left: Emily Sheehan from Dunmore High School; Sarah Brown and Colleen Noll. Second row: Jake McGovern of Holy Cross High School; Cody Calabro and Robert Swift. Third row: Douglas Gerichten, Jack Aversa, Ryan Skapyak and Hoang Ho.
Not pictured are Abby Bessoir of Dunmore High School, Dana Beynon, Abigail Bloom of Holy Cross High School, Katrina Coviello, Graeme Nichols, Cyrus Torres, Morgann Williams.
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Two Dunmore High school graduates and another two from Holy Cross High School are among those receiving four-year renewable college scholarship awards for students graduating from high schools in Lackawanna County. They have been made possible through the James F. Swift Scholarship Fund administered by the Scranton Area Foundation. They are Abby Bessoir and Emily Sheehan of Dunmore High School, and Abigail Bloom and Jake McGovern from Holy Cross High School.
The Foundation announces that 71 scholarships are currently active, including 53 renewed awards and 18 new awards just approved by the Foundation. The total amount of the scholarship grants to date is $2,144,000.00, and the 164 students who received them have graduated from high schools throughout Lackawanna County.
The James F. Swift Scholarship Fund was created by Mr. Swift through a gift to the Scranton Area Foundation in 2002 to provide support for higher education of young people in Lackawanna County. The Foundation gratefully received an unanticipated and significant gift from the estate of James Swift following his death several years ago. With the addition of this generous bequest to the scholarship fund, a greater number of Lackawanna County students have been able to pursue their academic and professional goals through higher education. In future years, the scholarship will provide an ongoing stream of matriculation at Lackawanna County colleges and universities. The Foundation’s goal is to award 75% of the scholarships to students who plan to attend institutions of higher learning in our area.
Scranton Area Foundation President & CEO Laura Ducceschi praised the generosity of James Swift, noting “he has left a permanent and enduring legacy for the young people of our region. His scholarship fund will make higher education more attainable for generations of students.”
The Scranton Area Foundation is a partner with Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) in their Partnership for Access to Higher Education (PATH) Program to offer qualifying students additional financial aid. Through PHEAA, these scholarship recipients may be eligible for additional dollars towards their tuition.
