College of the Arts’ Students Receive Cento Amici Scholarship and Attend Annual Spring Dinner

Thanks to the generosity of Cento Amici (100 Friends), a member organization dedicated to providing financial assistance to students in New Jersey, 10 College of the Arts’ students were awarded scholarships, five of whom were hosted at Cento Amici’s Spring Dinner on April 7. 

Cento Amici executives Robert Zito and Joseph Canderozzi welcomed the organization’s members and their guests, as well as the student scholarship recipients from five academic institutions including Montclair State University’s College of the Arts. Special guests, Basketball Hall of Fame Coach Bob Hurley, and Chairman and CEO of Centurion Holdings Joe Grano, delivered inspiring messages to the students, encouraging them to work hard, plan to succeed in life and aim to extend a helping hand to others along the way.  Students were also given autographed copies of each speaker’s recently published books.

“This event is always a highlight of the year for our members,” said Robert Zito, the founding president of Cento Amici. “The opportunity to meet the students, who are selected by their schools to receive our scholarships, is a great reminder of why we work to support funding these scholarships.  They are truly tomorrow’s leaders.”

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College of the Arts Award Recipients

The Cento Amici Scholarship was established at Montclair State University in 1999 and has recognized more than 100 College of the Arts students since its inception.  This year’s recipients, representing each of the College of the Arts’ four academic units, are:

School of Music       
Jaiden Mahone – Music Education
Rachel Taylor – Music Therapy
 
Department of Theatre and Dance   
Melanie Ciappi – Production Design
Emma Pressman – Dance
Breeanah Breeden – Dance
 
School of Communication and Media
Rebecca Gruber – Filmmaking
Michael Panepinto – Broadcasting
 
Department of Art and Design
Amanda Panicali – Fine Arts Studio
Christian Blaza – Animation Illustration
Lauren Morone – Animation Illustration

"The College of the Arts is grateful to have been chosen as a beneficiary institution of Cento Amici’s 100-plus friends – and we thank them for their generosity and support over the years," said Linda Davidson, College of the Arts’ Assistant Dean.