Keating Family Scholarship
About the Endowed Scholarship
The Keating Family Endowed Scholarship was established in 1994 by the estate gift of Loretta M. Keating of Bridgeport, CT. This scholarship is awarded to deserving students.
Student Recipients
Kelsey Black ‘21
Hometown: Danvers, MA
Major: Nursing
“SHU is somewhere where I can truly call home. I am so grateful to have been accepted to such a welcoming and caring community. The friends that I have made here are those who I will keep past my time at SHU. After graduating from SHU I hope to pass my NCLEX and become a registered nurse! My major is certainly preparing me toward these goals and I am sure that SHU's nursing program will lead me to success. I hope to further my career and return to school to become a nurse practitioner specializing in pediatrics. Outside of the classroom I love participating in the club Love Your Melon. As a club that supports children's fight against cancer, it coincides with my future career path. Making children smile is something that will always be a goal of mine throughout my lifetime and Love Your Melon allows me to do just this. I have also been fortunate enough to go abroad to Dingle, Ireland, an experience I will always cherish. The program SHU offers in Dingle is one that every student should have the chance to participate in. I just want to start by saying thank you to the Keating Family for their generous scholarship. I really am honored to be awarded such a scholarship and truly appreciate it with all my heart! It is so reassuring knowing that I am being supported through this scholarship and it means the world to me. With your help and support it helps me get one step closer towards reaching my future goal of being the best pediatric nurse practitioner! Your kindness and generosity will always be something I hold onto.”
Nicole DiPietro ‘21
Hometown: Nesconset, NY
Major: Nursing
“Sacred Heart University has so many things to love, but what I love the most is how friendly everyone is around campus. Being able to walk to class and always seeing a familiar face and a friendly smile really makes a difference. It makes it easier to handle being away from home especially when school starts to get stressful. As of right now my goal is to graduate from SHU with a Bachelors of Science in Nursing and hope to go on to work in the Emergency Department of a hospital. Down the line I would love to go back to school to pursue a Masters degree and eventually become a Nurse Practitioner. So far, the nursing program here has taught me so much. Between the facilities and the clinical experiences, I couldn't ask for much more. There is always something new to learn and there is so much support along the way. Outside of the classroom I am part of the Sacred Heart Dance Team. Dance is something that I have been doing since I was two years old, so being able to continue that in this stage of my life is amazing. I love this team because it allows me to balance academics while being able to still pursue my passion of dancing. It also allowed me to meet a great group of girls who I can consider my second family. I am extremely grateful to be selected for this scholarship. This school has given me so many great opportunities and having any bit of aid toward tuition is extremely beneficial and helpful. I am extremely honored to have received this scholarship as well. It pushes me to continue to strive my hardest and really take advantage of all this school has to offer.”
Olivia Gil
Hometown: Ronkonkoma, NY
Major: Health Science
“There are a lot of things I love about SHU, but if I had to pick one thing it would be how close everyone is. It's a small school so you are always seeing someone you know and everyone is always so friendly. It's a very welcoming community and really makes SHU feel like a home away from home. I came to SHU thinking I would be going for Speech language pathology, however after minoring in SLP I realized that audiology peaked my interest even more. I have worked with our audiologist at SHU and she has really inspired me to pursue this career. I plan on graduating with a degree in Health Science and minor in Speech language pathology, and then hopefully move on to receive my AuD. Outside of the classroom I really enjoy being part of Greek Life as well as volunteering. I am apart of Phi Sigma Sigma where we do a lot for school and college readiness, so everyone has an equal opportunity to receive a good education. During my freshmen year I completed 30 hours of community service in various places in the greater Bridgeport community. I am so extremely grateful for this scholarship. When choosing what college to go to money was always a big issue for my family. My family wanted to help me as much as they could while making sure I was at a great school. Choosing SHU was a difficult decision financially; however, my parents told me they would make it work. I know that this scholarship will take a little weight off their shoulders and I am very thankful for that. Thank you so much for considering and choosing me to receive this scholarship. I will make sure I work hard and make this scholarship well worth it.”
Past Recipients
Catherine Diane Albo '21
Hometown: Groton, CT
Major: Nursing
"I love the nursing program at SHU. I love how it is very challenging, but rewarding in the long run. The nursing program requires us to study the material as well as apply the material in our nursing practices. The nursing program helps me not only become a better student, but it also develops my confident as a nursing student and as a human being. Additionally, I love how SHU has an extensive amount of clubs and activities for us to take part in. These clubs are always supporting a positive cause for the SHU community. As a member of the SHU community, I also am proud that SHU offers so many volunteer services so that we can give back to the community of Fairfield and Bridgeport, Connecticut. My immediate goal after my bachelor's degree is to pass my NCLEX so that I can become a registered nurse. I would also like to pursue my master's in nursing so that I could either become a nurse practitioner or clinical instructor. In the long run, I am interested in returning to school to get my doctorate! My nursing major is extremely rigorous and challenging, but manageable and very rewarding in the long run. It has prepared me as a future nurse because of the amount of content to learn, as well as the practice from clinical in order to be a successful and confident nursing student! Outside the classroom, I enjoy going to multiple clubs which give back to the SHU community, and to the community of Fairfield and Bridgeport. As a member of The VEG at SHU, which is a vegetarian/vegan enthusiast group, my co-members and I are working together to bring awareness about eating intuitively and possibly having more food options for students and faculty who have different eating lifestyles. I also take part in Habitat for Humanity, Are You Autism Aware (AYAA), and Student Nurses Association. Lastly, I am part of the SHU Choirs, particularly liturgical choir, and I take part in singing for the congregation at mass in addition to concerts throughout the year. Words cannot express how grateful I am because of the Keating family. The Keating family has not only given me a scholarship, but has also gifted me with motivation to continue my studies at Sacred Heart University. My donor has encouraged me to strive towards success in my nursing program, in addition to giving me hope and belief that I will persevere as a college student to the best of my ability. With all my heart, thank you for your kindness and generosity!"
Giana Ferreira '21
Hometown: Johnston, RI
Major: Nursing
"The SHU community has provided me with so many opportunities that I would never be able to experience anywhere else. I love the sense of community I feel when I am walking through the halls and how everyone here at SHU goes above and beyond to help others. My professional goals include graduating as a RN, eventually becoming a DNP, and specializing in pediatric oncology. I have many goals and SHU has provided me with the resources necessary to achieve them. I am very grateful for the experiences I have had outside of the classroom. This past fall, I joined Greek Life and am now the corresponding secretary. I am also the sophomore class representative for the Student Nurse's Association and on the crew of Love Your Melon, a club dedicated to spreading the awareness of pediatric cancer. Through these clubs, I have had the opportunities to participate in many volunteer experiences, including visiting the Ronald McDonald House, volunteering at bone marrow drives and packaging food for the homelesss. I plan to study abroad at some point if I have the opportunity, as this has always been a dream of mine. Even with all of these leadership roles, I have still been able to make the Dean's List every semester. If I had the opportunity to sit across from the donors of the scholarship I received, they would truly know how appreciative I am and that I wouldn't be where I am without this. Because of this scholarship, I have been able to further my education with the hopes of one day changing other peoples' lives for the better. This scholarship is providing me with the support I need in order to reach my full potential and graduate SHU and I am so incredibly thankful."
Donate
To make a donation to the Keating Family Endowed Scholarship, make check payable to Sacred Heart University and mail to:
Sacred Heart University
University Advancement
5151 Park Avenue
Fairfield, CT 06825