Impact Stories
Anthony Vitiello - FIU Scholarship Recipient
For many, scholarships are a deciding factor for attending college. This is certainly the case for first-generation students, who often don’t have the resources to keep up with the rising cost of higher education.
Scholarships and grants have been essential for Anthony Vitiello, a College of Arts, Sciences, and Education (CASE) student currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in English. Now in his final year of college, Vitiello has been named the 2024-2025 Butler Waugh Scholar, competing against numerous applicants for the spot. He is set to graduate in May with a 4.0 GPA, immediately setting his sights on a PhD.
Amber Mannings - FIU Scholarship Recipient
From the age of 11, double-alumna Amber Mannings dreamed of being an attorney. Despite facing challenge after challenge, including homelessness as a teen, she graduated from FIU Law in 2022, earning a Juris Doctor (JD) degree. Now, she is starting her own law practice, realizing her childhood dream.
Mannings says this would not have been possible without the community she found at FIU’s Fostering Panther Pride program. She shares this accomplishment with the many mentors who supported her throughout her journey.
Zachary Danney - FIU Scholarship Recipient
In the face of the rising cost of higher education, some young people opt to enlist in the military rather than go straight to college. For current FIU Law student Zachary Danney, this path not only helped him become the first in his family to graduate high school and go to college but also the first to go to law school.
“I’m here thanks to scholarships,” Danney said, “After using the GI Bill that I earned from the Marine Corps on my undergraduate studies, it was the scholarships at FIU that provided me the opportunity to further my career and end up going on this path, where I'll be the first lawyer in my family.”