Hartford students surprised with $20,000 scholarships to the University of Hartford

On Tuesday, dozens of public high school students in Hartford were surprised with college acceptance to the University of Hartford and a $20,000 scholarship over the next four years for college.

“i just love the constant reminder that hard work does pay off,” Jose Laboy, a high school senior, said 

“I was like, wow!” Ariana Whitely added. 

She said she nervous and kind of scared about how to pay for college.

“I didn't know how I would pay for college because of financial issues, but Hartford Promise kind of helped to alleviate some of that nerve, so now I feel better about going to college” Whitely added. 

Hartford Promise president Richard Sugarman explained how the scholarship works. 

“At UConn, they’re going to match your scholarship, we’re gonna give you $5,000 here, they’re gonna match your $5,000, as they will at St. Joe’s, as they will at Eastern, as they will at Central, so you’re gonna get our scholarships and additional scholarships at most of those schools,” he said.

Hartford Promise Scholars

These are the criteria for becoming a Hartford Promise Scholar. You must:

• Be a Hartford public school student 
• Live in Hartford 
• Have a 93% attendance record 
• Have a 3.0 GPA or better 

In addition, if one of these students decides the University of Hartford is the school for them, they’ll also get free housing for all four years. 

“This is about belief, this is about community and this is about action,” Leslie Torres-Rodrigues, superintendent of Hartford public schools, said in a statement.  

Jordan Green, a first-generation former Hartford public school student who now works for Hartford Promise, said he wants this to be a sign that students in the capital city need more help and incentives. 

“There are so many more students in the city of Hartford that need the support, the resources, and if you are out here, hopefully this mobilizes you to join the mission of helping out Hartford students,” Green said.