Pete and Barbara Chiericozzi have recently established the Chiericozzi-Bruce Scholarship at Marshall University to support full-time undergraduate students.
First preference will go to students who are first-generation students and residents of West Virginia who are starting their sophomore year of study in good academic standing and demonstrate both drive and need for one academic year, per standards of Marshall University’s Office of Student Financial Assistance.
Pete Chiericozzi, a native of McDowell County, West Virginia, came to Huntington to study at Marshall and received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1966. He had a long and successful career in the paper industry and retired from the U.S. Air Force as a lieutenant colonel. His wife, Barbara, a Huntington native, graduated from Miami University with a degree in nursing. The couple aspires to provide students with opportunities to advance and enhance their life’s potential while also honoring the Chiericozzi family and Wallace Bruce, Barbara Chiericozzi’s late father.
“There are many chapters in one’s life – church, family, where one grows up, schools, the path and profession one follows when they finish their education, community involvement – they are all important as they contribute to who one is,” Pete Chiericozzi said. “We have chosen to invest and support each of these. With this in mind, we chose to support Marshall University for its role in opening opportunities for me after graduation.”
The Chiericozzis encourage students to commit to graduation, appreciate people on the journey, be willing to hear all sides of issues and encourage civil debate. They want students to know John Marshall’s history and the role he played in the separation of powers, to become lifelong learners, encourage others’ dreams, be active in the community and realize that as citizens of the United States, engagement is essential for the country’s welfare.
“The fact that the scholarship recipients are first-generation students to attend college says a lot about their family–their parents or grandparents either chose or did not have the resources to attend college. These students have made the choice to attend; part one accomplished,” said Pete Chiericozzi. “Part two is that a scholarship may provide the necessary funds to allow them to attend. The student then takes their place in society, better equipped to contribute to a better world and to provide opportunities for themselves and others.”
For information regarding the Chiericozzi- Bruce Scholarship, please contact Marshall University’s Office of Student Financial Assistance at 304-696-3162.