R.I. Foundation gives $25K in fellowships

PROVIDENCE – The Rhode Island Foundation has awarded $25,000 in fellowships for travel, study and enrichment to seven college students in Rhode Island.
Students will spend the summer traveling and learning because of the awards made through the Michael P. Metcalf Memorial Fund at the Foundation.
Metcalf was chairman and publisher of The Providence Journal at the time of his death in a 1987 bicycling accident. His widow, Charlotte, and the company created the Metcalf Fund in his memory in 1989.
“I wanted to create an opportunity that was a departure from the usual scholarship. I thought of making wonderful experiences – transforming experiences – happen for others,” she said Charlotte about the Metcalf Fund’s mission.
The fellowships enable recipients to broaden their perspectives and enhance personal growth. Permitted uses include travel in the United States and abroad as well as internships and public service programs. Grants cannot be used for standard semester-abroad programs or for post-graduate travel.
This year, the recipients include:
Susan Anderson of Providence, a junior at Rhode Island College, $3,500 to volunteer at a nonprofit in Argentina that serves people living in poverty;
Julia Brandenburg of Warwick, a junior at Mercer University, $2,425 to attend the week-long Rome Chamber Music Festival in Italy;
Rosa DaLomba of East Providence, a sophomore at the Community College of Rhode Island, $5,000 to travel to four Cape Verdean islands to distribute food and clothing she has collected;
Olugbenga Joseph of Providence, a junior at Brown University, $1,900 to work with needy families through The Working Boys’ Center in Ecuador;
Sandra Lopez-Naz of Cranston, a sophomore at the Rhode Island School of Design, $2,475 to travel to Guatemala to learn more about her native culture and focus on the role of textiles in Guatemalan life;
Hannah Masse of Richmond, a junior at the University of Rhode Island, $2,300 to volunteer on an organic farm in Spain (The Christine T. Grinavic Adventurer’s Fund is supplementing Masse’s award); and
Charlie Santos of South Kingstown, a sophomore at the University of Rhode Island, $7,931 to attend events in Canada, Minnesota and Texas to refine his skills in the art of improvisational theater.
Recipients will submit final reports describing the value of their experience in furthering their long-term goals.

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