Left to right, Penn State DuBois Director of Development Jean Wolf and Chancellor M. Scott McBride accept a $30,000 check in support of the Palumbo Scholarship at Penn State DuBois from trustees for the A.J. and Sigismunda Palumbo Charitable Trust, Joe Palumbo, Karin Pfingstler and Bob Ordiway.
DUBOIS, Pa. — The A.J. and Sigismunda Palumbo Charitable Trust has donated an additional $30,000 to a scholarship fund that will help students attain an education at Penn State DuBois. The fund, The Palumbo Scholarship at Penn State DuBois, was established in 2008 with a $25,000 gift from the Palumbo Charitable Trust. To date, the trust has gifted more than $300,000 to campus scholarship funds. In 2016-17 alone the fund provided scholarships for 22 individual students.
The scholarship is intended to provide recognition and financial assistance to outstanding undergraduate students enrolled, or planning to enroll at Penn State DuBois, who have a demonstrated need for funding. All students who have achieved superior academic records, or those who show promise of outstanding academic success, will be considered for funding from the scholarship.
Joe Palumbo, an A.J. and Sigismunda Palumbo Charitable Trust board member, said the trust was created by his late uncle, A.J. It helps to carry on the legacy of A.J. and his wife, Sigismunda.
A.J. Palumbo lived from 1906 until 2002, and amassed a fortune through hard work in the coal-mining industry. Today, educational institutions, healthcare facilities, and youth organizations continue to benefit from his hard work through the A.J. and Sigismunda Palumbo Charitable Trust.
"Receiving a scholarship is an empowering experience for students," said Chancellor M. Scott McBride. “Not only does it help them financially to reach their goals of attaining a higher education, but it demonstrates to them that they are supported in these efforts. It shows the students that we as a campus, as well as the donors that make these scholarships possible, believe that these students are worthy of our investment. We are incredibly grateful to the Palumbo Charitable Trust, and to all the donors who invest in the education of our students, and in the mission of our campus."
Each year, more than $400,000 in scholarship dollars is awarded to Penn State DuBois students through over 50 individual scholarship funds. The scholarships, established through the generosity of donors, help to assure an affordable and accessible education remains in reach for area students.
A total of 22 students received scholarships from the A.J. and Sigismunda Palumbo Charitable Trust during the 2016-17 academic year. Those who granted permission to be recognized for this achievement include:
- Chelsea Beck, Kersey, Pennsylvania
- Caleb Bennett, Kersey, Pennsylvania
- Nanna Bush, Saint Marys, Pennsylvania
- Ashley Cherubini, Brockport, Pennsylvania
- Jenna Eozzo, Saint Marys, Pennsylvania
- Nicholas Erich, Saint Marys, Pennsylvania
- Larissa Ginther, Weedville, Pennsylvania
- Alexzandrea Kennepohl, Saint Marys, Pennsylvania
- Mckayla Meyer, Saint Marys, Pennsylvania
- Rachel Schreiber, Saint Marys, Pennsylvania
- Carly Shaffer, Wilcox, Pennsylvania
- Samantha Stahr, Saint Marys, Pennsylvania
- Sadie Viglione, Kersey, Pennsylvania
- Jenna Zitzler, Saint Marys, Pennsylvania
Gifts from Penn State’s alumni and friends have been essential to the success of the University’s historic land-grant mission to serve the public good. To fulfill that mission for a new era of rapid change and global connections, the University has begun "A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence," a fast-paced campaign focused on the three key imperatives of a public university. Private support will keep the door to higher education open and enable students to graduate on time and on track to success; create transformative experiences on Penn State campuses and around the globe that tap the full potential of Penn Staters to make a difference; and impact the world through discovery, innovation and entrepreneurship. To learn more, please visit www.giveto.psu.edu.
