It was an evening marked by celebration and generosity as nearly 800 members of the Fordham community—donors, alumni, students, and friends—came together Monday night at the newly reopened Waldorf Astoria New York for the Fordham Founder’s Dinner. Centered on the theme “For the Future We Know Is Possible,” the dinner raised more than $2.5 million for the Fordham Founder’s Undergraduate Scholarship Fund.
Four distinguished members of the Fordham family were honored with the Founder’s Award—Meaghan Jarensky Barakett ’16 MS and her husband Brett Barakett, and Boniface “Buzz” Zaino ’65 and his wife Alison Zaino—recognizing their extraordinary commitments to Fordham and its students.
“Tonight, we will celebrate everyone in this room, for your selfless and generous support that provides the promise of a life-changing Fordham Jesuit education, preparing our students to make a meaningful impact on the world,” said the evening’s emcee, Lauren Scala ’04.
Since its inception in 2004, the Fordham Founder’s Undergraduate Scholarship Fund has uplifted more than 170 Fordham students who demonstrate a desire for excellence in all aspects of life through coursework, extracurricular activities, and personal experiences. Currently, the fund supports 46 Founder’s Scholars, many of whom shared their own inspiring stories and heartfelt messages of gratitude throughout the evening.
Inspiring the Next Generation of Students
Rebecca Madison Cortes, a senior in the Honors Program at Fordham College at Lincoln Center and the George and Marie Doty Founder’s Scholar, expressed immense gratitude on behalf of all of the scholars, thanking the donors for making her Fordham education possible.
“This scholarship has granted me the privilege of standing in this room and many rooms like it,” said Cortes, who is on the pre-law track and plans to become an attorney who advocates for the rights of marginalized communities. “As a result of your generosity, I have been able to experience Fordham University and New York City in ways I will cherish for the rest of my life.”
Cortes shared that her parents, who are from Puerto Rico, instilled in her the value of hard work. Thanks to the Founder’s Undergraduate Scholarship, she said, she was able to travel outside of the U.S. for the first time to study abroad at Fordham London. While overseas she visited 12 countries, and her parents joined her for a trip to Paris, their first time traveling outside of the U.S.
“I took their photo in front of the Eiffel Tower and I was reminded of how meaningful experiences like these once felt out of reach,” Cortes said.
The evening was filled with prominent Fordham voices who shared in the event’s spirit of gratitude. Scala, a four-time Emmy Award-winning television host, reporter, and producer for NBC’s flagship station in New York, was introduced by the evening’s “invisible voice” Delpine Blue, host of “Shocking Blue” on Fordham’s radio station WFUV. Joseph M. O’Keefe, SJ, provincial of the USA East Province of the Society of Jesus who earned his master’s degree from Fordham in 1981, delivered the evening’s invocation.
Members of Fordham’s Army ROTC Color Guard took the stage to post the colors, joined afterward by senior Alexa Carmona, who sang a moving rendition of the National Anthem. Fordham is home to the largest military-connected community in New York City, with more than 700 military-connected students. Its ROTC program celebrates the 100th anniversary of its official formation this year.
Armando Nuñez ’82, chair of Fordham’s Board of Trustees, reflected on Fordham’s 185-year history, its next chapter, and the generosity of its community.
“We are proud of our legacy and of past generations of Rams, while looking forward to ‘The Future We Know Is Possible,’” Nuñez said from the stage. “Thank you for being part of our community. Through your support, through your care, through your love, you are positively impacting our students and inspiring them to impact the world, and we are all so grateful.”
Opening Doors to Opportunity
Meaghan Barakett spoke on behalf of the couple as they accepted the Founder’s Award, reflecting on the role others have played in shaping her path—and the responsibility that comes with paying those opportunities forward.
“Every one of us has benefited from someone who opened a door,” Meaghan said. “That’s what the Founder’s Scholarship represents. It’s a community of people choosing to open doors.”
Meaghan, who serves on Fordham’s Board of Trustees and founded One Girl, Inc., a nonprofit that empowers women and girls, spoke candidly about the support she found at Fordham after the loss of the couple’s son Lincoln, and how that experience deepened her connection to the University.
“What I found here was something much deeper than an academic experience—it was a sense of connection, of shared values, and of people who truly show up for one another,” she said.
Brett Barakett is the founder and CEO of Tremblant Capital. Raised in Montreal, he attended Loyola High School, where he experienced first-hand the value of a Jesuit education. With Meaghan, he continues to support various educational and youth organizations, including scholarships in memory of Lincoln.
The Baraketts have given generously to many initiatives at Fordham, most recently the Bronx Green Jobs Center, a workforce training program created by the University and its community partners to expand economic opportunity in the Bronx.
See Meaghan Barakett’s full speech.
From the Bronx to the Boardroom, via Fordham
As the Zainos accepted the Founder’s Award, Buzz Zaino spoke about the path that took him from a first-generation college student born and raised in the Bronx to a successful career at the top ranks of finance—from “sanitation worker to partnership at Lehman Brothers, and from city housing projects to Park Avenue,” as he put it.
“The fuel for this growth was the intellectual challenge provided to me by the philosophy and theology disciplines at Fordham,” he said.
He went on to hold leadership roles at major firms, including Lehman Brothers and Royce Investment Partners. He serves on the Board of Visitors for Fordham College at Rose Hill and was a campaign member for Cura Personalis | For Every Fordham Student, a recent fundraising campaign that raised more than $350 million to enhance the student experience.
Alison Zaino is a dedicated watercolorist and designer. She started her career at JP Maggio Designs before transitioning to fundraising, serving on the boards of institutions including the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation, the Millbrook School, and the Marymount School of New York. She is an active supporter of a number of arts organizations and animal charities.
Buzz offered words of wisdom for the students in attendance.
“Our path may not be yours. But your time at Fordham has given you the substance to make these ongoing decisions more fruitful and appropriate for you,” he said.
Focusing on What Matters
Founder’s Scholar Brendan Sheeran introduced a special performance by members of the Fordham University Choir and fellow Founder’s Scholars in the Ailey/Fordham BFA in Dance program.
A senior studying International Political Economy and captain of the University’s sailing team, Sheeran spoke about the opportunities he’s found through Fordham—from competing at a high level in collegiate athletics, to interning in the Massachusetts State Senate, to serving New York City communities as an Urban Plunge assistant.
“I cannot thank you enough for making my Fordham Jesuit education possible,” Sheeran said before inviting the performers onto the stage.
As she introduced a special video created for the dinner, Founder’s Scholar Salome Kufuor echoed Sheeran’s gratitude for the scholarship.
“It enabled me to focus on what truly matters, whether that be my honors-level coursework or dedicating time to student clubs and organizations,” said Kufuor, a senior studying global business with a concentration in finance and economics.
The Enduring Gift of a Fordham Education
University President Tania Tetlow brought the evening to a powerful close, reflecting on the positive impact of the people in the room.
She spoke of the challenges facing today’s students—from rapid technological change to growing social division—but said that a Fordham Jesuit education offers something enduring: the skills to navigate an uncertain future with curiosity, compassion, and resilience.
“The world has never needed Fordham more,” Tetlow said. “We teach the emotional intelligence necessary for leadership, teamwork, and citizenship. We invite students to walk in the shoes of others from across time or around the globe.”
She underscored that Fordham will continue uplifting students like the Founder’s Scholars, thanks to the generosity of those gathered that evening.
“Together, we forge a fierce community fueled by faith,” Tetlow said. “We laugh together, we cry together, we break bread together—and we build the Fordham of our dreams for centuries more to come.”
Founder’s Scholars share their stories, gratitude, and dreams for the future in the video above, which was shown at the dinner.
