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Connecticut College awarded $25,000 to support Hoffman Scholars Fund

NEW LONDON, Conn. - The Maximilian E. and Marion O. Hoffman Foundation, Inc. has awarded a $25,000 grant to Connecticut College to support the Hoffman Scholars Fund. The fund was established in 2008 with a $50,000 grant and provides scholarships to students from Connecticut entering the college´s Science Leaders Program. The Science Leaders Program, launched in 2007 and funded by a National Science Foundation grant, aims to increase the number of women and minority students graduating from Connecticut College with a degree and research experience in the sciences. Students admitted to this challenging undergraduate program are from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, and priority is given to underrepresented students including women, minorities, first-generation college students and students who are uncommonly challenged by a disability. Science Leaders receive enhanced scholarships, additional support, career preparation and assistance applying to graduate school. The current Hoffman Scholar recipient is Paola Peshkepija, a member of the college´s class of 2013 who was born in Tirana, Albania and later moved to Connecticut with her family. Peshkepija is a pre-med student, who aspires to work in cancer research, a goal that became very personal after her father died of cancer last year. "I have always loved science," she said. "But after my father passed away I wanted to help people with cancer, and that´s when I decided to focus on a career in medicine." The Hoffman Foundation, based in West Hartford, was founded in 1983 by Marion O. Hoffman and her sister, Doris C. Chaho. The Foundation´s president, Marion Barrak, is Chaho´s daughter. The Foundation´s funding priorities include medicine, education, the arts and charitable activities with a strong regional focus on Connecticut. About Connecticut College Situated on the coast of southern New England, Connecticut College is a highly selective private liberal arts college with 1900 students from all across the country and throughout the world. On the college´s 750-acre arboretum campus overlooking Long Island Sound, students and faculty create a vibrant social, cultural and intellectual community enriched by diverse perspectives. The college, founded in 1911, is known for its unique combination of interdisciplinary studies, international programs, funded internships, student-faculty research and service learning. For more information, visit www.connecticutcollege.edu. --CC--



June 14, 2010