The Kyera and Nicole Giannini Scholarship Endowment Grow

Olga Rios

Alejandro Martinez

An additional gift of $25,000 has been made to the Kyera and Nicole Giannini Scholarship Fund thanks to the generosity of Mario Giannini, a CSU alumnus and heritage speaker of Italian who majored in English literature CSU Northridge where he also took Italian literature and culture classes.  Since the Kyera and Nicole Giannini Scholarship endowment was begun last year, four students have received scholarships to finance travel and study in Italy.  Students are selected for these scholarships based upon their academic performance, commitment to Italian Studies, and financial need.  Graziadio Chair Donato has expressed her appreciation for this new gift, “The Kyera and Nicole Giannini Scholarship Endowment has made a difference in the lives of outstanding students who want to travel to Italy but can’t afford it.  I am indebted to Mario Giannini for thinking once again of our students and for understanding how much this kind of endowment fund means at California State University, Long Beach, where so many deserving students face financial hardship.  It is particularly gratifying for me that a CSU alum and a dear friend who shares our vision for Italian Studies has so graciously heeded our call.”

This year’s recipients, Olga Rios and Alejandro Martinez, are grateful for the opportunities these funds have made available to them.  Rios, an Italian major, has just returned from a period of intensive study at the Università per stranieri, Perugia.  She wants to become an Italian teacher and is currently working at Millikan High School as an Italian Language intern.  Martinez, a double major in Italian Studies and Mechanical Engineering, will study at the University of Venice, Ca’ Foscari this Spring.