From left to right: Maya Shah-Busby, Kahina Chibane, Gabriel Ricci, Isabella Giosi, Gabriel Bensimon
The foundation had a successful 4th annual Emeka Ngadi Scholarship Awards ceremony.
More than 70 attendees were present to celebrate the achievements of this year’s award winners. It was wonderful to celebrate the impactful journeys so far, of these amazing recipients not only in academics but also in serving their communities.
From tutoring, debating, public speaking, researching and volunteering in different non-profit community organizations using their times and efforts, there seemed to be no limits to the reach of these winners.
From left to right: Laura Fasanella, Olivia Pereira, Dr. David Frost, Francis Scarpellegia MP
We also had the pleasure of hearing from a wonderful set of guest speakers that evening.
Laura Fasanella, a long-time friend of Emeka and the Ngadi family gave a captivating speech about the growth that comes from failure and perseverance, inspiring our recipients to seek the true value behind their education and not weigh their value against the number of awards and medals they receive.
Olivia Pereira, one of last year’s awards recipients and now board member at the Ngadi Foundation, spoke of the impact that the Emeka Ngadi Scholarship had in her own recent journey. She revealed how the level of care, hope and support that she received from the foundation in receiving her scholarship gave her the courage and confidence to pursue new opportunities. Ms. Pereira challenged the award recipients not to be afraid of their next steps and to know that they deserve to be where they are.
Dr. David Frost, Emeka’s professor in Mechanical Engineering, gave a compelling account of Emeka’s time as his research student describing his bright ingenuity in synthesizing a material that would emit a bright light upon impact, drawing a beautiful comparison to Emeka’s short but shining life.
MP Francis Scarpellegia, was the last guest speaker of the award ceremony. He spoke of the importance of education and its role in providing tools that young students would use to continue to grow as excellent learners and members of their communities.
There was a beautiful and inspiring song by Gladys Batten and Alysha Normil. Overall, it was a great and relaxing event. We acknowledge and appreciate our various sponsors who made the event possible.
