A longtime partnership between Fordham University and a nationwide high school leadership program is paying off for incoming Fordham students. The National Student Leadership Conference (NSLC) has awarded an NSLC alumni college scholarship to an incoming member of the Class of 2020.
Rising freshman Gianna Antinori is the recipient of the second annual NSLC alumni college scholarship. The merit-based scholarship provides $10,000 per year in tuition, renewable for all four years of Antinori’s undergraduate education at Fordham.
Antinori, a graduate of Eastern Regional High School in Voorhees, NJ, attended the NSLC’s medicine and healthcare program in Washington, D.C.
“These are merit-based scholarships, with applications evaluated on academic excellence, demonstrated leadership in extracurricular activities, and submitted essays and recommendation letters,” said Nate Silver, director of operations for the NSLC’s Yale and Fordham programs.
“We will be awarding one scholarship for each university each year, so by the time the class of 2022 enters Fordham, there will be four NSLC scholars on campus,” he said. “Our hope is that this scholarship generates interest in our host universities among our alumni and acts as an additional incentive for [them]to apply to Fordham.”
Rising sophomore Cameron DiGate was the recipient of the inaugural NSLC alumni scholarship in 2015. DiGate also attended the medicine and healthcare program, with the intention of becoming a veterinarian.
“We are very proud of this initiative, and we are very pleased to help some of our most outstanding students with their tuition payments at our partner universities,” Silver said.
Sponsored by the nonprofit National Student Leadership Foundation, the NSLC is a summer program that provides high-achieving high school students with an opportunity to live on a college campus and learn about careers that interest them. The conference has 16 programs on eight college campuses, offering instruction in business, government and law, STEM careers, leadership, and performing and media arts.
“It prepares students who are thinking about college,” said Richard Waite, director of Fordham’s conference services. “It’s a way of getting them to know what it’s like to live on campus or to go to school in New York City. And it’s a great way to get exposure for Fordham.”
During the two-week session, students participate in high-level classes, make site visits to organizations in their fields of choice, and meet with prominent leaders in the field.
“Students have the opportunity to go into Manhattan for site visits and meetings,” Waite said. “For instance, one year, students who were interested in culinary careers were invited to various restaurants in the city, including Per Se at the Time Warner Center.”
This summer marked the ninth year that Fordham partnered with NSLC to host the students on its Rose Hill campus.
