Local fund sets HVRHS students up for success

“Once I applied for grants, I realized how easy this fund made it for students to apply for grants and scholarships. This also makes students more likely to apply for these financial opportunities, which is vital for helping develop students.” —Silas Tripp, HVRHS student

Students at Housatonic Valley Regional High School face an issue shared by many students across the country: the cost of education and academic opportunities.

To combat this issue, HVRHS students such as Silas Tripp have worked with an organization known as the 21st Century Fund. Silas received two grants, allowing him to attend Engineering programs at Brown University and the University of Pennsylvania. The fund’s awards of over $3,000 covered more than half of each program.

“The 21st Century Fund offers students economic aid to extend their education beyond what is offered in regular education classes,” said Mike DeMazza, a 21st Century Fund board member and educator at HVRHS. The fund awards grants to students ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars.“This allows students the opportunity to dream and to find direction for their future.”

“My experience with the 21st Century Fund has been far easier than I first expected,” Silas Tripp said. “Once I applied for grants, I realized how easy this fund made it for students to apply for grants and scholarships. This also makes students more likely to apply for these financial opportunities, which is vital for helping develop students.” This local support is unique in Region One, as many other regions do not have the same grant system.

“The goal of opening doors and making things so accessible to our students is very unique,” said Letitia Garcia-Tripp, a HVRHS educator and Silas’s mother.

This unique community support is especially important today, as the cost of a higher education continues to rise. “It has gotten completely out of hand,” Letitia said. “The costs are set so only a small minority can afford higher education. Gone are the days where if a student did their job to be successful in high school, then they didn’t have to worry about the cost of college the way they do today. Full scholarships are few and far between.”.

“I think every student should familiarize themselves with the 21st Century Fund website at 21stcenturyfund.net — this is part of the Region 1 community unknown by many,” Demazza said. You will never know if funding is available unless you apply.”.