Carol A. Leary Endowed Scholarship Awarded

02.13.2009

LONGMEADOW, Mass.—More than $4,000 in scholarships has been awarded to three Bay Path College undergraduates—a first-year, junior, and senior, as part of The Carol A. Leary Endowed Scholarship Fund. Established by Bay Path College, the fund honors Bay Path President Carol A. Leary’s tenure as president and is awarded to qualified, first-generation college students. The scholarships supplement the recipients’ current financial aid packages, and ultimately reduce or limit their overall financial debt.

“As a student at Bay Path College, I’ve received many opportunities to succeed, and the Carol A. Leary Endowed Scholarship is another opportunity that has helped me pursue my dream of a college education, allowing me to complete my studies in the Elementary Education program,” said scholarship recipient Laura Ann Sarno ’09 of Enfield, CT.

The Carol A. Leary Endowed Scholarship Fund was created in 2005 through generous gifts from multiple donors to honor Dr. Leary’s 10th anniversary as President of Bay Path. The fund provides scholarships for qualified, Bay Path undergraduates—traditional and One-Day-a-Week Saturday College students—who are the first in their families to attend college and demonstrate a significant financial need.

“I rely greatly on financial aid to fund my higher education in legal studies, and my family and the Bay Path community have been very supportive of me—both financially and academically,” said recipient Amanda R. Morin ’10 of Williamsburg, MA. “The endowed scholarship has had an immense impact on my financial situation by reducing the loans my family and I will need to pay back after graduation.”

First-year undergraduate and scholarship recipient Kayla L. Thomas of New Preston, CT agreed. “The financial aid staff worked with me to get financial assistance, which allowed me to begin my path to a bachelor’s degree and will reduce my college debt at graduation,” said Thomas, an occupational therapy major. “Bay Path was my first choice because it provides an affordable, high quality education, and is a welcoming environment where your professors, staff, and classmates make you feel like part of a family. They give you all of the support you could ask for whether its academically or when you need some friendly advice.”

Bay Path remains committed to providing students an affordable, high quality education, enabling them to succeed in their chosen careers. One of the lowest-priced, private colleges in New England, Bay Path gives 100 percent of new full-time students a guaranteed scholarship or grant. The average total aid package for students with financial need in the Class of 2012 was $22,000. Students can qualify for merit scholarships worth up to $13,000 a year as well as prestigious National Science Foundation scholarships that can provide up to $10,000 a year for four years.