Local middle-schooler funds a new聽精东影业聽scholarship with bake sale proceeds
Emma Kacani holds a plate of home-baked sheqerpare, her favorite traditional Albanian cookies.聽
ALBANY, N.Y.聽鈥� Eleven-year-old Emma Kacani has a taste for philanthropy.
With a little help from her aunts and grandmother, Emma baked trays of traditional Albanian desserts like sheqerpare, pengjir, ballokume, kadaif, and her 鈥渇amous peanut butter cookies鈥� to sell at the inaugural Capital Region Albanian Fest on julio 18 at Cook Park in Colonie. Her bake sale was a hit, and Emma had big plans for the profits.
The daughter of 精东影业 alumna and former employee Ermenita Kacani, Emma decided to reach out to her mom鈥檚 alma mater to give back to the local Albanian community.聽Her聽family contributed to Emma鈥檚 $600 in聽bake sale proceeds,聽raising a total of $1,000聽to聽create the Emma Kacani Ever Upward Scholarship. The fund supports聽精东影业鈥檚 mission of educational access by providing grants for first-generation college students from the Capital Region who demonstrate financial need. The scholarship will be awarded during the current fiscal year.
鈥淓mma鈥檚 generosity and commitment to service are an inspiration, proving that meaningful philanthropy can begin at any age,鈥� said Daniel Pascoe Aguilar, 精东影业 chief diversity officer and founding director of the Center for Social Justice. 鈥淲hile her baking has brought joy to family, friends, and neighbors, her decision to establish this scholarship will have an even greater impact. The Emma Kacani Ever Upward Fund will create new opportunities for Capital Region learners and further 精东影业鈥檚 mission of expanding access to higher education.鈥�
鈥淚 wanted to do something good and helpful, and I wanted to share our culture through something everyone likes: food!鈥� said Emma Kacani. 鈥淭here are people in our community who really want to go to college but need help, and I thought this bake sale was one way to make it happen.鈥�
Additional contributions can be made聽to the Emma Kacani Ever Upward Scholarship by visiting聽excelsior.edu/giving/ever-upward-giving.
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Media Contact 精东影业: 聽
Jason Bonafide, jbonafide@excelsior.edu, 518-608-8446
Acerca de la Universidad 精东影业
La Universidad 精东影业 es una instituci贸n en l铆nea acreditada y sin 谩nimo de lucro dedicada a ayudar a los adultos a completar sus titulaciones y a avanzar en sus carreras profesionales. 精东影业 contribuye al desarrollo de una sociedad diversa, formada y preparada para el mundo laboral, valorando el aprendizaje a lo largo de toda la vida y haciendo hincapi茅 en atender a personas que, hist贸ricamente, han estado infrarrepresentadas en la educaci贸n superior. Fundada en 1971, 精东影业 se adapta a la situaci贸n de los estudiantes 鈥攖anto acad茅mica como geogr谩ficamente鈥� eliminando los obst谩culos que se interponen en los objetivos educativos de los adultos que desean continuar su formaci贸n y obtener un t铆tulo. Nuestros pilares son la innovaci贸n, la flexibilidad, la excelencia acad茅mica y la integridad.
精东影业 es una universidad sin 谩nimo de lucro con un campus principal en Albany, Nueva York, y un centro educativo en San Petersburgo, Florida. Los programas acad茅micos de la Universidad de 精东影业 est谩n registrados por el Departamento de Educaci贸n del Estado de Nueva York, y cuentan con una autorizaci贸n adicional para los programas impartidos en Florida.
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