Lorena Sferlazza

2011 Norwalk High School Scholarship Recipient

The ultimate success of Kevin’s Fund lies in the recipients of Kevin’s scholarships. This year we are pleased to spotlight Lorena Sferlazza, 2011 recipient of the Norwalk High School scholarship.

In May 2015, Lorena graduated magna cum laude with College Honors from the College of the Holy Cross, earning a Double B.A. in Visual Arts: Studio and Italian. She spent her junior year abroad in Florence, Italy, studying Italian Renaissance art history at the Università degli Studi di Firenze and interning at Gonnelli auction house. Upon her return, Lorena completed an interdisciplinary Honors thesis and 13-foot painting installation The Passion. Her work was featured in the College’s annual Academic Conference, the Iris B. Cantor Gallery, and the Holy Cross alumni magazine.

While at Holy Cross, Lorena dedicated much of her time to campus ministry as a liturgical coordinator and lector at weekend masses, a member of the Magis Program for Developing Church Leaders, and an RCIA group facilitator. She contributed to the Visual Arts student advisory committee, the Ciocca Office of Entrepreneurial Studies advisory board, the cognitive development psychology research team, the Admissions Outreach Program, and the Worcester Boys and Girls Club tutoring program.

Lorena was recognized as a Charles A. Dana Scholar for exceptional academic leadership and character, a three-time showcased artist at ArtsWorcester’s annual College Show, and the winner of the 2015 Maurizio Vannicelli Prize for best essay on a subject of Italian culture. Lorena was inducted into three national honor societies: Alpha Sigma Nu Jesuit Honor Society, Phi Beta Kappa Liberal Arts and Sciences Honor Society, and Gamma Kappa Alpha Italian Honor Society.

Upon graduating, Lorena began full-time employment at Sotheby's auction house in New York City. She continues to serve as a founding member of Kal-Pa-Vriksh “The Giving Tree” 501(c)(3) Nonprofit, benefitting education in Varanasi, India.

In describing what the scholarship has meant to her, Lorena wrote, “The Kevin M. Eidt Scholarship for me is about connection: connection between Kevin and his parents, his friends, and the love from his life that continues to bear witness even 19 years after his passing. I am humbled to be a part of this journey. The support of Kevin’s fund has allowed me to pursue my passions and grow in a community where service to others is at the core of its mission. This is the message I hope to carry forward.”

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
Recipients	222
Awards	$2,700,000
Funding as % of Contributions	99.5%