By Maureen E. Moran '89

Sometimes, the nicest surprises arrive in the smallest of packages.

When eight incoming fourth-year students received an unexpected letter from the College's Financial Aid Office this summer, the handwritten address was the first clue this wasn't an ordinary letter. Upon opening their envelopes, the students learned that they would each be receiving a $6,000 scholarship from the General Alumni Association. 

Since 1999, the GAA has awarded $126,000 in scholarships to 21 sons and daughters of Holy Cross graduates. Students are chosen primarily on academic achievement, although demonstrated financial need is also a consideration. 

This year, the program expanded to grant awards to eight members of the Class of 2002. The recipients represent a cross section of interests and majors, but all demonstrate a long-standing family commitment to Holy Cross:

After having spent his third year at Oxford University in England, John Delfino was ready to return to Mount St. James. The economics/accounting major describes Oxford as a "quaint college town, where everyone rides around on bikes." The son of Nancy and John Delfino '60, John learned he had won a scholarship while doing auditing work for Ernst and Young in New York City this summer. Surprised and excited, he says the scholarship is "definitely an honor." 

For Matthew Farley, news of the scholarship "hit me out of the blue." He was leafing through the mail on his way out the door when the hand-addressed letter from the Financial Aid Office caught his eye. Farley, an economics major, had spent his third year at Trinity College in Dublin where his large, lecture hall classes were in sharp contrast to Holy Cross. "It was a great experience, and it made me appreciate Holy Cross as a school," he says. The son of Margaret and Steve Farley '73, Matthew says it means a lot to his father that he and sister Karen '04 both attend Holy Cross.

James Henry was just as glad the scholarship was a surprise because "if I had known I was in the running, I would have been nervous." The double major in English and classics is the son of two Holy Cross graduates, Leon and Jeanne (O'Keefe) Henry '77. A member of the crew team during his first three years at Holy Cross, James is taking this year off and looking forward to a little free time as he prepares for law school. Having had an internship assisting a judge in a district court in Washington County, R.I.-an experience he describes as "human drama piled on top of human drama"-James may consider a future in criminal prosecution. 

Elizabeth Hume knew she had mastered the phonetic aspect of the Russian language when, in Russia, she was thought to be Russian. A Russian major at Holy Cross, Liz attended Hertzen University in St. Petersburg for her third year and while there, traveled throughout Russia, Finland, Estonia and Latvia. During her fourth year, she plans to draw upon her experiences abroad as she prepares her honors thesis, a comparison of Russian and Slavic fairy tales. The daughter of Maggie and Kevin Hume '70, Liz describes receiving the GAA scholarship as "a very nice surprise." 

As an intern at Congress Watch in Washington, D.C., Jeffrey Knapp had a unique opportunity to meet with another member of the Holy Cross community, Justice Clarence Thomas '71. A history and Spanish double major, Jeffrey is in the prelaw program, so meeting with Thomas at the Supreme Court was particularly appropriate. Jeffrey is the son of Lesley and Norbert Knapp '64, and even though he has been involved with GAA activities, news of the award came unexpectedly. "It's quite an honor to have been chosen," he says. 

Laura Manzo has had three great years at Holy Cross, and no doubt the GAA scholarship will make her last year especially sweet. The biology/premed major was taken by surprise when she learned she would be receiving the scholarship, but it was a surprise of the nicest kind. "It's very prestigious," she says. The daughter of Karen and Patrick Manzo '66, and a biology teaching assistant, Laura has also served as a House Council member and a mentor with SPUD. After graduation, she's considering medical school but may spend a year either in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps or at a research lab in the Boston area. 

Not aware that she was being considered for the GAA scholarship, Jessica Paul says she was "amazed I was one of the eight." Jessica-a Spanish major who is pursuing the teacher certification program-says spending her third year in Seville, Spain, sharpened her Spanish skills, as did living with a host family who taught her Spanish cooking and invited her to spend Christmas near the Portugal border. Jessica, the daughter of Denise and Thomas Paul '69, says her father's pride in her being awarded the scholarship "is part of what made me so happy." 

Saying that she loved every moment of her time at Trinity College in Dublin, Kelly Pereira learned that the European system of education depends on students' self-discipline. An English major, Kelly welcomed the opportunity to experience a new country and a new culture, as well as a new university. 

Now back in Worcester, Kelly, the daughter of Laura and James Pereira '75, is looking forward to smaller class sizes as well as the individualized attention Holy Cross professors offer. The GAA scholarship is a welcome help as she begins her fourth year. "I am honored for the recognition," she says.