St. Francis College student honored with $10K award
St. Francis College Communication Arts major Alexa Castelluccio ’17 was awarded the first National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) Michael Gargiulo Scholarship in Broadcasting and Communications, a $10,000 award, on Tuesday at the Pier A-Harbor House in Battery Park.
“I am extremely grateful and truly honored to receive this award,” said Castelluccio, a rising senior who hails from Astoria. “This scholarship is such a big help to my family. I now realize that hard work and dedication truly does pay off.”
At St. Francis College, Castelluccio is a member of Terrier TV, helping to produce and appear in a variety of student-created programming. She is also an intern at “The Wendy Williams Show” this summer. Castelluccio previously graduated from St. John’s Preparatory High School in Queens.
In addition to lending his name to the honor, Emmy-award winning journalist and co-anchor of NBC 4 New York’s weekday newscast “Today in New York” Michael Gargiulo was master of ceremonies for the event. Gargiulo is a longtime supporter of NIAF and has emceed the event for five consecutive years. He also has covered the Foundation’s Anniversary Awards Galas in our nation’s capital.