New Pratt & Whitney Scholars Program to Benefit UConn Engineering Students

UConn Foundation

2 min read

EAST HARTFORD, Conn., Nov 1 – Pratt & Whitney announced today a $1.25 million investment to help build a diverse workforce for the future, through the creation of The Pratt & Whitney Scholars Program to benefit University of Connecticut (UConn) Engineering students.

The Scholars Program, a scholarship designed for underrepresented students, will provide four cohorts of five students with $10,000 per year for four years; a summer internship opportunity at Pratt & Whitney after their sophomore year; a senior design project sponsored by Pratt & Whitney; and professional development and mentorship opportunities.

Applications for the first cohort of students are open and can be found here. Awardees will be announced in early January 2022. Additional freshman cohorts will be identified each fall until 2024. Students will also receive additional financial support for educational expenses such as books, transportation and fees.

This new program builds upon the decades of support that Pratt & Whitney and parent company Raytheon Technologies have invested in diversity programs at UConn, including the decades-long BRIDGE program, a summer program designed for women and underrepresented minorities entering their freshman year at UConn Engineering.

“The new Pratt & Whitney Scholars Program will serve the diverse communities and schools where we live and work,” said Chris Calio, president of Pratt & Whitney. “With this scholarship, we look forward to providing mentorship and support to 20 engineering students, to expand opportunity for students in need. We are committed to equitable access for all as we work to inspire the future generations of innovators.”

Kazem Kazerounian, Dean of the UConn School of Engineering, applauded Pratt & Whitney for their new investment and was excited for the future of the Scholars program.

“Pratt & Whitney has been a key partner with the UConn School of Engineering as we train and graduate the next generation of leaders,” Kazerounian said. “These new Pratt & Whitney Scholars will be a shining example of the best and brightest our school has to offer.”

The Scholars program will be embedded in the newly launched at UConn, launched in 2021.

About Pratt & Whitney

Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft and helicopter engines, and auxiliary power units. To learn more visit www.prattwhitney.com. To receive press releases and other news directly, please sign up here.

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James Keth ’19, Painting and Biology

UConn Foundation

2 min read

James Keth ’19

Major: Fine arts, with a minor in Biology

Degree: Bachelor of Fine Arts

Scholarships: Leadership Scholarship, University of Connecticut Fine Arts Talent Scholarship, Cynthia Reeves Watercolor Scholarship

Hometown: Quaker Hill, Connecticut

Why did you choose to study painting and biology?
I wanted to study art. It’s what I love doing. I wanted to improve my skills while learning more about the art world because it wasn’t something I was exposed to that much growing up. However, I also wanted to keep learning especially in the biological field. I was always fascinated by how living organisms worked and how they interacted. It only made sense to study both and UConn allowed me to do that.

James Keth ‘19 (SFA) working on his senior project in his studio at the School of Fine Arts, Art Building on March 25, 2019. (Sean Flynn/UConn Photo)

What did you accomplish during your college experience that you’re most proud of?
I got to have my own solo art exhibition thanks to the IDEA Grant that I received through the office of undergraduate research. The grant allowed me to travel to Cambodia for three weeks to collect inspiration for the show. The exhibition was a collection of pieces that explored these multi-dimensional feelings of being first generation Cambodian-American born after the Khmer Rouge genocide that my parents went through. I gained a lot in accomplishing this project such as learning how to write for a grant, creating work for an exhibition, and installing for an exhibition.

What do you plan to do after you graduate?
I plan on applying to post-baccalaureate art programs in order to take time to prepare and apply for graduate school.

How has UConn shaped you as a person?
UConn not only helped me develop my skills and knowledge, but it gave me the environment to develop as a person. It put me in a space where I could explore who I am, but also knowing that I always had a support system if I ever needed help.

If you could summarize your experience at UConn in three words, what would they be?
Challenging. Interdisciplinary. Rewarding.

What did receiving a scholarship mean to you?
I guess the obvious answer would be that I could actually afford an education. Both my parents are refugees from Cambodia after the Khmer Rouge genocide and I am very fortunate for all of their hard work in allowing my brother, sister, and me to live comfortably, despite them coming to America with nothing. Education, however, is still very expensive and it is not something we can just afford. We three kids all are or are going to be in college. That in itself is a huge financial obstacle, so any amount of help really did matter. Being a scholarship recipient not only helped me and my parents but also indirectly helps my brother and sister seek higher education. I am very thankful for the education I received at UConn but also thankful for the financial aid I was given especially through scholarships.

Read the full article on UConn Today.

Scholarships make dreams happen at UConn. Support the success of students like James with a gift to the UConn Scholarship Fund.

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Michelle Dugan’s Scholarship Will Help Women Fulfill Dreams

UConn Foundation

2 min read

Michelle Dugan was amazed by the young women she met who had received scholarships from UConn’s new Women and Philanthropy group.

“They really wowed me as far as how worldly they already are at this point in life and how excited they are about the fields that they’ve chosen,” she said.

Inspired by the mission of the UConn Women and Philanthropy initiative, she decided to donate $50,000 to create an endowed scholarship that will help pay tuition for a female UConn student.

“In today’s world, women have better opportunities and they can become engineers and doctors. I’d like to be able to afford more women that opportunity,” she said.

Career options for women were far more limited when Michelle graduated from UConn in 1969.

“Basically, you could be a teacher or go into the health field in a supporting role. There were very few women who even thought about going beyond that because there just weren’t many opportunities for us,” she said.

Although UConn cost only $500 a semester when she went to college, Michelle is keenly aware of how much tuition has risen.

“I wanted to be able to help so that kids don’t graduate from college and find they have mortgage-like debt to pay off right when they are trying to get on with their lives.”

Upon graduating from UConn with a degree in Child Development and Family Relations, Michelle became a social worker at the Jersey City Medical Center in Jersey City, NJ. She married Gary Dugan ’69 PhD, whom she had met at UConn. They had two children, and she became a stay-at-home mom for several years. The expanded childcare network of today was non-existent back then for career families.

Later, she went back to school and earned a master’s in Public Administration from Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey. During her 25-year career, she worked for two towns, most recently serving as a combination Borough Administrator, Chief Financial Officer, Tax Collector, and Recycling Coordinator for Midland Park, NJ.

“It was a small town and you had to wear a lot of hats,” she explained. “I really enjoyed being in the public sector, especially the finances, most public meetings and interacting with the public. It was a great career.”

Michelle identifies with the #metoo movement. Although she never experienced sexual abuse or harassment on the job, she endured a more subtle form of sexism, marginalization. She says she did not always feel she was being treated as an equal.

Michelle is very optimistic about the Woman and Philanthropy initiative and looks forward to seeing it expand to assist women with career choices and moral support.

“I encourage women to consider joining the group so we can grow the network and help support more female students while they’re at UConn and help them launch their careers afterwards,” she said.

Learn More About UConn Women and Philanthropy.

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Sharing the Fruits of Hard Work with a Scholarship

Jennifer Doak-Mathewson

< 1 min read

When Joseph DiPietro graduated from UConn in 1955, there were about 8,000 undergraduates in Storrs, then a very rural community with lots of rolling hills.

In September, when DiPietro returned to UConn for the first time since graduation, he was astonished by the number of buildings on campus and by the 17,000 undergraduates in attendance.

“We think the campus looks great,” said DiPietro, who visited the Storrs campus with his wife, Lori, to meet Gabriel Bachinelo ’16, the first recipient of the scholarship fund they established.

“It’s exciting to provide a scholarship,” said DiPietro after meeting and speaking with Bachinelo, an accounting major in the School of Business. “Gabe is a great choice for our first award. We anticipate great things from him.” DiPietro said he is pleased that his scholarship supports a student who, like him, is the child of immigrants and a first-generation college student. DiPietro’s parents came to the U.S. from Italy, while Gabe’s family came to the U.S. from Colombia.

“I started out in the School of Engineering, not breaking any records,” says DiPietro, who switched to business in his junior year and became an honor student. He went on to a long and successful career with Pfizer.

“It’s an honor and a privilege to fund a scholarship and show how my years of hard work have paid off,” said DiPietro.

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