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Norwalk High School Recipient Spotlight


2018   Katerina Karaiskos

An excerpt from Katerina's comments:

Good evening everyone. Thank you all for being here in support of Kevin’s Fund and each of Kevin’s scholarship recipients.

Five years go by so quickly. It seems like just yesterday that I stood before many of you as a high school senior, overwhelmingly grateful to be named as the 2018 recipient of Kevin's Norwalk High School Scholarship, and eagerly awaiting to embark upon my college journey. That night, I felt so many different emotions. I was nervous, excited, honored, and appreciative. Now I stand before you as a college graduate, feeling all of these same emotions, but with a bit of newfound insight. This is, without a doubt, a full-circle moment.

Some highlights from my Cornell career include my induction into the Phi Beta Kappa and Golden Key Honor Societies, my involvement as a Research Assistant for two distinct lab groups, my role as the Music Director of my a cappella group, and over 500 hours of dedicated community service as an Orientation Leader, College Ambassador, and Diversity & Inclusion Chair.

To read the rest of Katerina's comments, please click HERE.


2017   Grace Bradley

An excerpt from Grace's comments:

When I was awarded the Kevin M. Eidt Memorial Scholarship in 2017, I was absolutely beside myself! I remember crying with joy when I got the call and then rushing downstairs afterwards to tell my parents. I will make my best effort to stand up tonight and not cry now because of my heartfelt gratitude, but I make no promises.

I want to express my sincerest gratitude to Mr. and Mrs. Eidt for sharing the loving memory of Kevin with me and the community of recipients you have fostered, many of whom are here tonight. I am honored and privileged to have received such a generous investment in my education and I deeply appreciate everyone who made it possible. I believe that we may honor someone else’s life by living ours with a purpose and that sentiment guided me throughout college, grounding me to the morals and values that the Kevin M. Eidt Scholarship is built upon.

To read the rest of Grace's comments, please click HERE.


2016   Ava Rosato

An excerpt from Ava's comments:

Hello everyone and good evening. It feels so wonderful to finally be gathered together for this long-awaited reunion of honoring Kevin’s legacy. Tonight marks a milestone in a number of ways - not only is this the 25th year the Eidt Scholarship has been awarded at Norwalk High School but it is also most likely the first time many of us have been able to gather in this capacity since the start of the pandemic. I am deeply honored to be commemorating both of these occasions with you all tonight.

It is surreal to remember standing here 5 years ago as a bright-eyed high school senior whose dream of attending Georgetown University had just come true. I am so grateful to be here celebrating the ways in which this extraordinary scholarship continues to change the lives of dedicated scholars and families in our community. And I am especially grateful to be able to share how this scholarship has significantly impacted the past 5 years of my own life.

To read the rest of Ava's comments, please click HERE.


2015   Kimberly Devine

An excerpt from Kimberly's comments:

Since becoming an honored recipient of the Kevin M. Eidt Memorial Scholarship in 2015, I have imagined this moment several times. Mostly with a little bit of trepidation. Each year, after listening to an alumnus speak at this event with wisdom and experience that felt well beyond my years, I thought to myself, “I hope, when I graduate college, that I have something to say!”

Over the past two years, we have all faced the difficult tasks of shedding our expectations and reimagining our special moments like birthdays, graduations, and weddings. I never could have envisioned that I would address this audience more than a year after it was initially planned, but I am so grateful that I was given this re-imagined moment and a bonus year to figure out something to say. So, a sincere thank you to the Eidt family for inviting me to speak here today and for your dedication to honoring each recent alumnus and recipient of the scholarship.

To read the rest of Kimberly's comments, please click HERE.


2014   Brody O’Brien

An excerpt from Brody's comments:

"It is surreal for me to think that five years ago I stood here to accept this prestigious award. It was truly a blessing to become the 2014 recipient of the Kevin M. Eidt Memorial Scholarship and to be recognized with an award that embodies Kevin’s loving spirit and legacy. I cannot thank you all enough, for believing in me and providing me with the financial and motivational support to live my life according to Kevin’s values."

"In May 2018, I graduated magna cum laude from the University of Connecticut, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering and a minor in Environmental Engineering. As an “Honors Scholar,” I was the only student in my major to graduate from the Honors Program. Taking a vast array of classes across all disciplines within my major, the Engineering Department and the Honors Program fed my hunger for learning and pushed me to reach new academic heights."

To read the rest of Brody's comments, please click HERE.


2013   Nina Robertson

An excerpt from Nina's comments:

“Since receiving this award, I have found myself to be more present in each moment, embrace the highs and the lows, and be grateful for each and every day I was given the opportunity to live. I have found that everything I do now has more meaning and more purpose. When I walked across the stage to receive my diploma from Holy Cross, I could picture Kevin and all of you right there with me.”

“But the most important thing that Kevin’s award has taught me is that our connections to others are what add meaning to our lives. These connections have the potential to be so strong they can transcend time and space. All of us here tonight are connected to Kevin Eidt in some way, and we are here honoring him over 20 years after he has left this earth.”


Prior Recipients

2012 -- Alex Libre

2011 -- Lorena Sferlazza

2010 -- Eloise Libre

2009 -- Despina Sidiropoulos

2008 -- Alyxie Harrick

2007 -- Kara Bess

2006 -- Lauren O'Hagan

2005 -- Jessica Bruno

2004 -- Elana Ben-Porat

2003 -- Thomas Wagner

2002 -- Laura Sharp

2001 -- Lauriann Kress

Please click HERE to see profiles for these scholarship fund recipients.


About the Fund

Background

The Kevin M. Eidt Memorial Scholarship Fund was established through the generosity of the many people Kevin touched in his short life. Kevin, an 18-year-old dean's list freshman in the honors program at Boston College, passed away from cardiac arrest on January 23, 1997 while playing intramural basketball. Kevin set the example of the passion and sincerity we should bring to each day. He was an individual with vision, commitment, abiding hope, aspirations, and compassion. And when we look back, it was a life, albeit a glimpse of life, by which people can be measured and judged by.

Mission

The mission of the Kevin M. Eidt Memorial Scholarship Fund is to preserve Kevin's spirit by paying tribute to achievements in academics, athletics, arts, and the virtues of service and faith that were the essence of Kevin's life.

Fund Facts

With 12 scholarships, valued at $160,500, awarded to the class of 2023, Kevin's Fund will have provided $2.7 Million in financial support to 222 exemplary young men and women matriculating at over 85 diverse colleges and universities in Kevin's memory. The dramatic growth in scholarship awards is directly related to the financial success of our annual benefit dinner dance, which began in 2000 and funded scholarships for the class of 2001. As a result of this generosity, Kevin's Fund has awarded the following scholarships.

To the class of 1997   $3,750
To the class of 1998   $5,000
To the class of 1999   $12,000
To the class of 2000   $13,000
To the class of 2001   $47,000
To the class of 2002   $55,000
To the class of 2003   $70,000
To the class of 2004   $85,000
To the class of 2005   $100,000
To the class of 2006   $111,000
To the class of 2007   $127,000
To the class of 2008   $139,000
To the class of 2009   $140,000
To the class of 2010   $118,000
To the class of 2011   $117,000
To the class of 2012   $115,000
To the class of 2013   $121,000
To the class of 2014   $122,000
To the class of 2015   $124,000
To the class of 2016   $122,250
To the class of 2017   $124,000
To the class of 2018   $127,000
To the class of 2019   $128,000
To the class of 2020   $128,000
To the class of 2021   $126,500
To the class of 2022   $156,000
To the class of 2023   $160,500

For the 2023 – 2024 academic year, Kevin’s Fund is providing financial support to 15 students matriculating at American University, Boston College (2), Champlain College, Columbia, Dartmouth, George Washington University, Liberty, Northeastern, Sacred Heart, Southern Connecticut State, UConn (2), Univeristy of Delaware, and UMass-Amherst.


Scholarship Fund Accomplishments as of June 30, 2023
Recipients222
Awards$2,700,000
Funding as % of Contributions99.5%