West Hartford students named Robert T. Kenney Scholars

New Britain, Conn. – Twenty West Hartford students were awarded college scholarships by the American Savings Foundation at their annual Robert T. Kenney Scholars reception on August 14.  Before an audience of nearly 600 scholars, parents and guests, the foundation announced a record total of $705,000 in scholarship aid to 380 students for the 2012-2013 academic year.   

"Unlike many scholarships that are for only one year, we help support most of our students for all four years of college," said Maria Falvo, chief operating officer of American Savings Foundation.  "We want to help students focus on their studies and come out of college with a great education, not a huge debt load."   

The scholarship program was named in memory of Robert T. Kenney, whose original vision led to the creation of the American Savings Foundation.  Kenney grew up in Connecticut, the son of immigrants who instilled in their children the values of education and hard work. He became a leader in the banking industry in Connecticut, and was chairman, president and CEO of American Savings Bank from 1991-2003.  From his own experiences, Bob understood the importance of making a college education affordable for the next generations of leaders.   

The American Savings Foundation is a permanent charitable endowment that also awards grants to area nonprofits.  Since its inception in 1995, the foundation has made over $36 million in contributions, including $7.3 million in college scholarships to 1,629 students.   

West Hartford students who were honored as Robert T. Kenney Scholars at the event are:  

Melanie Banks Marist College

Marika E. Brownlee Pratt Institute

Chelsie Bryant Connecticut College

Brian E Burghoff Central Connecticut State University

Elon Drager Skidmore College

Jazmin Foy SUNY at Albany

Cynthia Gutierrez University of Connecticut

Binh Hoang Yale University

Hodo Jibril Trinity University

Ramanjit Kaur University of Connecticut

Rufat Kulakhmetov University of Connecticut

Mawra Malik University of Connecticut

Moeizza Malik University of Connecticut

Mumiza Misbah Capital Community College

Anupam Ojha University of Connecticut

Prabha Pokhrel Central Connecticut State University

Morgan J. Robinson Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Harman Singh University of Connecticut

Kristen Theodore Newbury College

Hena Zakir University of Connecticut