This week, 32 high school seniors from the greater Philadelphia region were recognized at Firstrust Bank’s 50^th annual Samuel A. Green Scholarship program. The awards program, one of the region’s most renowned high school scholarship programs, granted $50,000 in college tuition to community-minded seniors who competed by penning a personal essay about leveraging education as a means to actively bolster their communities. The deserving scholarship recipients were celebrated today during a ceremony at The Franklin Institute. More than 600 students applied for the scholarships this year. 

“The Samuel A. Green Awards, in honor of my grandfather and our founder, have empowered students to use their talents to better their own communities for a milestone fifty years,” said Richard J. Green, Chairman and CEO of Firstrust.  “We are thrilled to mark this banner year with our largest individual scholarships yet, given to incredible students who will become leaders, agents of change, and positive forces in their communities. It is our honor and privilege to recognize such a distinguished group of scholarship recipients.”

Samuel A. Green, founder of Firstrust Bank, believed in the importance of receiving a college education and using it to give back to the community. For more than eighty years, the bank remains committed to these same values. This annual scholarship program upholds those founding principles by honoring young people in the region who reflect these principles. 

The 32 scholarship recipients were selected based on their written responses to a topic that is rooted in the mission of Firstrust, “How My College Education Will Help Me Cultivate Prosperity in My Community.” 

Upper Dublin High School student, Ryan Goodman, and Central Bucks High School South student, Julia DeFusco, received the top two grand prizes of $10,000 each. 
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Thirty additional high school seniors from across the region were each awarded scholarships of $1,000:

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• Matthew Hannum, Central Bucks High School South
• Casey Steiner, Abington Senior High School
• Amirah Brew-Syders, Central High School
• Melanie Kaminsky, George Washington High School
• Salamata Bah, Norristown Area High School
• Abigail Mortimore, Downingtown West High School
• Brigit Corej, Paul VI High School
• Zachary Saifer, Council Rock North
• Peter Eklund, Council Rock High School South
• Sydney Lewis, Strath Haven High School
• Mya Humphries, Norristown Area High School
• Kiara Pile, Mt St Joseph Academy
• Melody Sheldon, Central Bucks High School West
• Jordan Ford, Phoenixville Area High School
• Kellen Fitzgerald, Malvern Preparatory School
• Justin Nguyen, Downingtown High School East (DHS)
• Cynthia Mathai, Council Rock High School South
• Cassidy Pitts, Central Bucks High School West
• Maya Hoffman, Mt St Joseph Academy
• Erika Canas, West Catholic Preparatory High School
• Victoria Le, Norristown Area High School
• Peter Martosella, La Salle College High School
• Gabriella Polidoro, Nazareth Academy High School
• Jake Sieger, Pennsbury High School
• Kyle Holt, Central Bucks High School West
• Ethan Rupp, Germantown Friends School
• Kyle Gallik, Central Bucks High School South
• Jamese Carter, Freire Charter School
• Emily Breuninger, Lenape High School
• Brenda Shou, John W. Hallahan Catholic Girls’ High School

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The Samuel A. Green Scholarship Program has helped Firstrust award more than one million dollars to close to 1,500 area college-bound students and families in the past 50 years.