Contact: Ilene Lumpkin
Director of Media Relations
201-291-1111, ext. 122
igl@BerkeleyCollege.edu

NEWS ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, January 10, 2006

In a special evening ceremony held recently at the NYC Midtown Campus, a Berkeley College scholarship was awarded to a Queens student, in honor of an alumna who perished in the World Trade Center.  The Patricia Cimaroli Massari Scholarship, established in memory of the Berkeley alumna who died on September 11, 2001, was awarded to Summerdeep Kaur of Floral Park, New York.

The ceremony brought together the husband of Patricia Cimaroli Massari with the recipient, her classmates and friends, and members of the Scholarship Committee, as a way to honor the memory of Ms. Massari at Berkeley College.  Ms. Massari was one of 14 Berkeley College students and recent alumni who perished in the World Trade Center.  Four months prior to her death, the 4.0 graduate who had returned to the College to complete her Bachelor’s degree, had been named the College’s Alumni of the Year.  The Scholarship was established at the College at the request of the Cimaroli and Massari Families.

“It is to the ultimate credit of the Cimaroli and Massari families that they chose to remember Patricia with hope for the future, through the creation of a scholarship in her name,” said Berkeley College President Dr. Mildred García.  “To our 2005 recipient, Summerdeep Kaur, I congratulate you.  I urge you to make the most of your education, and the most of your life.  By accepting this scholarship, you have accepted the challenge to carry on Patricia’s legacy at Berkeley College.  I know you will work hard to succeed while you lend a helping hand to your fellow students, much the same way Patricia did.”

Dr. Garcia invited Ms. Kaur, who promptly accepted, to participate in next year’s Scholarship process as it will be the fifth consecutive year the Scholarship will be awarded.  It will take place during Berkeley College’s 75th Anniversary Year, and all of the previous recipients of the Scholarship will be invited to participate.

The Patricia Cimaroli Massari Scholarship was established at the request of her parents, Anna and Richard Cimaroli, and her husband, Berkeley graduate Louis Massari, to honor Patricia’s belief that education is the path to success.

“This Scholarship gives someone the opportunity to make something of themselves, just as Patricia did,” Louis Massari commented.  “It is a wonderful tribute.  This is what Patricia would have wanted.  Berkeley College helps us celebrate Patricia’s life in this way.  We congratulate you and hope you carry on Patricia’s legacy, given the opportunity you have.  Make your patents and family proud.  Make yourself proud.”

The Scholarship is awarded to a student who is entering his or her third year, has a GPA of at least 3.0, is enrolled in one of the College’s Bachelor’s degree programs, and attends either the Westchester or NYC Midtown Campus.  The Scholarship has an annual value of $1,200 and is renewable for the recipient’s fourth and final year in the program, providing the student maintains a GPA of at least 3.0.

A committee of representatives from Patricia’s family and Berkeley College staff reviewed the candidates’ GPAs, financial need, and performance on an essay that described a time that was a turning point in the applicant’s life.

In her essay, Ms. Kaur wrote about how as a young teenager she and her friends had made fun of a woman who always had her head covered, even in the summer.  Later, she found out through her mother after the woman’s death that the woman had her head covered because she had lost her hair due to the treatment for cancer, and that by her passing, she had left three young children.  Then, Ms. Kaur very much regretted her prior behavior, realizing this woman could have been her own mother.  Ms. Kaur resolved to grow her hair to donate it, and encouraged many friends to do the same.

“That event has taught me not to laugh at people without knowing them,” Ms. Kaur wrote in her essay. “There might be a reason behind them being different.  Now I think something through a hundred times before talking badly about anyone.  The day I will donate my hair will give me an internal happiness, even though it will not bring that woman back.”

The Patricia Cimaroli Massari Scholarship is part of a continuing commitment at Berkeley College to provide educational awards to deserving students on the basis of merit and need.  Last year, Berkeley College offered more than $14 million in institutional grants and scholarship aid.

Berkeley College is celebrating its 75th Anniversary (1931 – 2006) as a leader in business education.  The College currently maintains an enrollment of more than 5,000 students – including more than 400 international students -- in its Baccalaureate and Associate degree programs. Berkeley provides students of all generations with a high-quality education encompassing academic preparation, professional training and hands-on experience. Berkeley students also benefit from the College’s high career placement rate in positions related to their fields of study.  The College maintains three New Jersey campuses located in West Paterson, Paramus, and Woodbridge, and two New York campuses in Midtown Manhattan and White Plains.  In addition, the College operates an Extension Center in Lower Manhattan in the Wall Street area, and plans to welcome students in the fall of 2006 to its newest location in downtown, Newark, NJ.