The Weller Foundation, Inc., recently recognized six Masuk High School seniors competing for Barton L. Weller Scholarships for their outstanding achievements with awards. Established in 1978, this scholarship program is presented to a senior for a five-month original independent study or research project.
Keller Hall, the son of Jason and Maureen Hall of Monroe, has been awarded $2,000 as the Barton L. Weller First Runner-up Award for his project, “Ferric Modified Bamboo Biochar as a Passive Lead Remediation Tool in Contaminated Coastal Wetland Sediment.”
Hall will attend the University of Connecticut in the fall and be enrolled in an honors engineering program.
Aoife Riordan, the daughter of Brian Riordan and Maureen McMullen from Monroe, has been awarded the $6,000 Louis J. LaCroce Medical/Health Sciences Scholarship. This scholarship was established in 1995 and renamed in 2020 to honor former Trustee Louis J. LaCroce. It is intended to support and encourage students to pursue a career in healthcare.
Riordan will begin her studies at the University of Delaware in the fall to study nursing.
Brayden Renkavinsky, the son of Wendy Renkavinsky and Jay Poludniak of Monroe, is the recipient of the $500 Senior Science Award. This award was established in 1962 to honor an outstanding senior who has demonstrated the ability to achieve recognition in science.
Renkavinsky plans to study chemistry at Yale University in the fall.
Sienna Callahan, daughter of Scott and Kathryn Callahan of Monroe, is the recipient of the $500 Eleanor F. Moore Business Award. This award was established in 1973 to honor an outstanding senior who has demonstrated the ability to achieve recognition in business.
Callahan plans to attend Fairfield University in the fall to study finance.
Sarah Verrastro, the daughter of Daniel and Heather Verrastro, is the recipient of the $500 Paul W. Broggi Communications Award. This award was established in 1986 to honor an outstanding senior who has demonstrated the ability to achieve recognition in communications.
This fall, Verrastro will attend Fordham University, majoring in English.
Noah Everlith, the son of Jeremy and Jody Everlith of Monroe, has been awarded the $3,000 Vincent A. Voccia Vocational Award. The foundation established this award in 1983 and gives it to seniors to help them prepare for a vocational or technical career.
Everlith intends to attend Naugatuck Valley Community College, where he will enroll in a welding program.
The Weller Foundation, Inc., is a nonprofit organization established in 1962 to provide financial assistance to educational, charitable, and civic organizations. It is well-known in the area for its numerous scholarship programs, student awards, and other supporting contributions.
