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CHARTER OAK AWARDS $94,000 IN SCHOLARSHIPS TO 47 STUDENTS Since 2015, Charter Oak Has Awarded Nearly $650,000 In Annual Scholarships Contact: Anthony Cronin AVP-Director of Marketing 860.446.3254 acronin@cofcu.com Waterford, CT – June 3, 2021 – Charter Oak Federal Credit Union awarded $94,000 in scholarships this spring to 47 high school and college students in New London and Windham counties for their significant academic and community achievements. “Our scholarship committee was truly impressed with the many achievements of these scholarship recipients – in their school studies as well as their community activities – during an academic year that was heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Brian A. Orenstein, Charter Oak’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Once again, the selection process was very competitive, with more than 190 applications received by Charter Oak for this year’s scholarship program,” he said. Since 2015 when Charter Oak first expanded its annual scholarship program, the credit union has proudly awarded $648,000 in scholarships to a total of 324 students in eastern Connecticut. Students who are members of Charter Oak compete for the annual scholarships by submitting an essay describing how they would help their local community in addition to submitting their academic, athletic, and community accomplishments. As part of Charter Oak’s strong commitment to serve the communities in its field of membership in eastern Connecticut, the credit union has pledged to award one $2,000 college scholarship to a college-bound senior at each high school within New London and Windham counties with an attendance of at least 100 students. Additional scholarships, when available, are also given to students already enrolled in college. This year’s high school student scholarship winners (sorted by school) are: Sarah Charpentier, Academy of the Holy Family; Olivia Dickinson, ACT Magnet High School; Jamie Greene, Bacon Academy; Chelsea Weimer, East Lyme High School; Sarah Hodgdon, East Lyme High School; Nicole Burgon, East Lyme High School; Gabbriella King, Edwin O. Smith High School; Leslie Melendez, Ella T. Grasso Technical High School; Madison Spinelli, Griswold High School; Sophie Griffin, Killingly High School; Meghan Wrobel, Killingly High School; Megan Cravinho, Lyme-Old Lyme High School; Quinn Mignosa, Marine Science Magnet High School; Emily Tarinelli, Marine Science Magnet High School; and Sophie Giurleo, Montville High School. Also, Leydi Martinez, New London High School; Brenna Comeau, Norwich Free Academy; Zachary Ruta, Norwich Free Academy; Kyle Benito, Parish Hill High School; Kathryn Waite, Plainfield High School; Abby St. Martin, Putnam High School; Cierra O'Grady, Robert E. Fitch High School; Alyson Cabral, Robert E. Fitch High School; Rachel Kunka, Saint Bernard School; Adam Bryant, Science and Technology Magnet High School; Annabelle Axtell, Science and Technology Magnet High School; Colin Wertz, Stonington High School; Celia Moffitt, Stonington High School; Marissa Sasso, Stonington High School; Eli Werstler, The Woodstock Academy; Caroline Wilcox, The Woodstock Academy; John Steglitz, Tourtellotte Memorial High School; Kevin McEntarfer, Waterford High School; Jenna Morin, Waterford High School; Nitya Somineni, Waterford High School; Benjamin Dobley, Wheeler High School; and Nolyette Verastegui, Windham High School. Additional college scholarship recipients are: Amara Robinson, California Baptist University; Samuel Kasem-Beg, Connecticut College; Aaron Nyambe, Middlesex Community College; Josefina Alvarez, Mitchell College; Julia Paul, University of Connecticut; Collin Carofano, University of Rhode Island; Kinsley Green, University of Saint Joseph; and Jamal Neal, Yale Divinity School. In addition to these 45 high school and college scholarship recipients, Charter Oak employees awarded two separate scholarships through their employee-funded Community Outreach Program. Carly Millette, a student at The Woodstock Academy, was awarded the $2,000 Community Outreach Memorial Scholarship and Eveliz Fuentes, a student at Lyme-Old Lyme High School, was awarded the $2,000 Louise Jackson Community Outreach Scholarship. Charter Oak awards scholarships on an annual basis and will begin accepting applications again in January 2022. Information will be available at that time on the credit union’s website at CharterOak.org. Charter Oak is eastern Connecticut’s largest credit union with assets of $1.46 billion as of March 31, 2021. For more information about Charter Oak’s broad range of products and services, please visit any of our convenient branches, call our Contact Center at 860.446.8085 or visit CharterOak.org. Federally insured by NCUA. Equal Housing Lender. Charter Oak Federal Credit Union is like a bank, just better! We’ve been proudly serving eastern Connecticut since 1939 and we offer great checking, deposit, lending, insurance and investment products. And because we’re a credit union, we’re owned by our members, not by shareholders. So we can offer lower rates on loans and higher rates on deposits. It’s easy to become a Charter Oak member: simply live, work, worship, learn, or volunteer in New London or Windham counties. So join today and see why Members Bank Better at Charter Oak!