Scholarship Funding Assists the Next Generation
The Class of 2011 — (Left to right) Jack Kusinski, Newington; Roger Rougeot III, Torrington; Greg Armbruster, Terryville; Sean Dormody, Bristol; Jeff Smyser, Southbury; Nick Roncarti, Watertown; James Diamond, New Milford; James Trombetta, Monroe
Northeast Utilities Foundation and Naugatuck Valley Community College Team Up for Opportunities
How often does a "full ride" to a college come along that also includes a paid summer internship? Unless you're a highly recruited athlete, the answer is probably not very often. And how often does such an offer come via your local community college? Probably close to never.
But thanks to scholarship funding from the Northeast Utilities Foundation, nearly 30 students at Naugatuck Valley Community College (NVCC) in Waterbury are getting a full scholarship to pursue an associates degree in Electronic Engineering Technology that includes the guarantee of a paid internship at CL&P.
In an effort to, in the words of NU Foundation President Pat McCullough, "look for ways to improve the pipeline of qualified people interested in working in the utility field," the Foundation, CL&P and NVCC teamed up in 2008 and began offering the program. "We not only want to help our companies, but help the regional workforce with a group of technically qualified people," said McCullough.
The Class of 2011 — (Left to right) Ryan Davenport, Bethlehem; Rob McDonald, Harwinton; Alex Prigge, Norfolk; Mike Allison, Naugatuck; Jon Sheehan, Southington; Steve Confortini, New Milford; Courtney Collins, Watertown; Alex Archambault, Woodbury
Last year's group of scholarship recipients spent this past summer interning at CL&P. "They came back to school so excited and so serious," said NVCC Associate Professor and Program Coordinator Kristen Dagan. "It changed them as to why they are going to school. It will be clear for this group, too."
"This group" is some 20 students who make up the second class of scholarship recipients. Before a recent tour of CL&P's Berlin campus, McCullough spoke with them, saying she has 'three asks' – "take advantage of every learning opportunity, look for every opportunity to apply that knowledge and please be the ‘proof of concept', be the example that this is the way to develop the workforce that Connecticut needs."
This second class of scholarship recipients also has the first woman in the program, Courtney Collins of Watertown. "I liked an engineering class that I previously took (at NVCC)," said Collins. "The more I'm learning, the more I'm interested. I need to focus on my future and improve my position."
"Overall, the students are doing phenomenal," added Dagan. "It's a very popular program."