College students who were awarded scholarships from NJREA may renew them each year, provided they meet the criteria for the award. Recipients of either the Elizabeth Allen or Isabelle M. Hickmann four-year scholarship are eligible for renewal if they maintain a college GPA of at least 3.0.
Recipients of the Fred E. Aug Community College Scholarship are eligible for renewal in their second year if they maintain a college GPA of at least 2.75. The following are renewal recipients for the 2020-21 school year.
Ryan Devine is a senior at Dickinson College and pursing a STEM degree. He has continued to play basketball and was selected for the All-Sportsmanship Team for the Centennial Conference, as well as
chosen to represent the Student Advisory Athletic Association for the NCAA. Devine reads to elementary students monthly and coaches basketball with special needs children.
Marissa Spletter is a junior and studying management at Boston College. She has been actively involved with campus clubs, intramural athletics and community service. Once COVID-19 hit New Jersey, she took advantage of her entrepreneurial skills and began donating handmade masks to Morristown Memorial Hospital and other local groups in need. To further her COVID-19 relief initiative, Spletter has created a website to engage with the community and provide updates. Her next goal is to study abroad at the University of Singapore in the spring of 2021.
Sabrina Costa studies biology UCLA. She is in her junior year. Her biggest hurdle was adapting to the difference in time zones between California and New Jersey. It was also an isolating experience being away from peers to collaborate and learn together. Although COVID-19 changed Costa’s plans, she is grateful to be safe and continue her studies.
Simon Levien decided to take a sabbatical this year from Harvard because of the pandemic.
Bradley Ferguson is going strong in his sophomore year at Harvard. Although the onset of COVID-19 halted in-person classes, Harvard encouraged group work through Zoom. Ferguson has maintained his status as director of Harvard’s National Model United Nations and director of the Regional Bodies Committee on the World Bank, which focuses on response to economic crises such as the Ebola epidemic and COVID-19 pandemic. Ferguson has adapted, persevered and maintained a positive outlook this year and is dedicated to take this experience as an opportunity to excel.
Toni Castellani adapted to her first year at Raritan Valley Community College, using the organizational skills and structure taught in her K-12 school years. Her focus this year has been giving back and helping others in need, such as donating to the school’s food pantry and a local Equine-Assisted Therapy program. To further her community outreach, Castellani has been donating farm eggs from her own chickens to her local food pantry to directly give back to those in need.