“I’ve always believed that education is a cornerstone not only to personal growth and fulfillment but also to developing a stronger society. Unfortunately, it’s also become inaccessible for so many in our state and across the country. My hope is that we can help provide much-needed assistance to underserved students in our community and perhaps play a small role in helping shape our leaders of tomorrow.”
Those words from our founder, Vin Villano, couldn’t have done a better job of summing up why ebbo teamed up with him to create a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Scholarship fund through the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving in 2021.
About 12 years ago we created ebbo Cares, a program centered around giving back to our local community. Our team continues to commit time and resources to positively impact great organizations and causes.
With the Villano-ebbo Scholarship, we will be able to help support one young person to pursue a career in technology or entrepreneurship.
Vin has been working with the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving on similar scholarships since 2013.
As a Connecticut native, he prioritizes giving back to the community where he grew up, raised his son and started a business. He approached us a few years ago with the idea of a joint scholarship.
Its purpose is to provide financial assistance to an incoming college student who meets the following criteria:
- Graduating high school senior who lives in or attends high school in the 29 town Hartford Foundation region;
- Entering a 2-year or 4-year college/university and pursuing an undergraduate degree on a full-time basis;
- Have achieved academic success in high school and shows promise of continued academic achievement at the college level;
- Involved with volunteer, community service, and/or extracurricular activities, or paid work;
- Need financial aid in order to attend college; and
- Interested in technology and entrepreneurship.
While the scholarship criteria may change year to year, we’re excited to offer this opportunity to a young person with an interest in technology and entrepreneurship to help jumpstart their career.
The selection process includes the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving Board of Directors’ approved selection committee through an objective and nondiscriminatory process.
Members of ebbo, along with Vin Villano, will be part of the committee as well. Our hope is that the annual recipient will come into the office to meet our team members.
The opportunity to work with our founder on this scholarship fund is exciting.
As Vin has said, “ebbo is part of my DNA. Like so many ebbo employees, we put in our blood, sweat and tears to help mold our fledgling business into what it’s become today. I’m always so proud of the team and I’m honored to partner with ebbo to launch this fund and help strengthen the community we love.”
We hope that this scholarship will continue to drive those efforts even further.
Instructions for accessing applications:
- Go to hfpg.org/scholarships
- Select the type of college you will attend
- Click on the link to access the Hartford Foundation’s portal
- Create an account and log onto the portal
- Complete the eligibility questions and scholarship applications will be uploaded to your dashboard
- Click Apply to start an application
- Deadline for application submission: February 1, 2024, 11:59 p.m.