DUBOIS – To help answer the growing need today’s college students have for financial aid, the A.J. and Sigismunda Palumbo Charitable Trust has established the Palumbo Scholarship at Penn State DuBois, with a $50,000 gift.   Â
The scholarship is intended to provide recognition and financial assistance to outstanding undergraduate students enrolled, or planning to enroll at Penn State DuBois, who have a demonstrated need for funding. All students who have achieved superior academic records, or those who show promise of outstanding academic success, will be considered for funding from the scholarship. However, first consideration will be given to students from Elk County. Â
Joe Palumbo, an A.J. and Sigismunda Palumbo Charitable Trust board member said the trust was created by his late uncle, A.J. It helps to carry on the legacy of A.J., and his wife, Sigismunda. “He really believed in our youth and in education,” Palumbo said of his uncle. “He always said that the more education you have, the better off you are.” Â
A.J. Palumbo lived from 1906 until 2002, and amassed a fortune through hard work in the coal mining industry. Today, educational institutions, healthcare facilitates, and youth organizations continue to benefit from his hard work through the A.J. and Sigismunda Palumbo Charitable Trust. Â
“Financial support, like that demonstrated through the Palumbo Scholarship, have the power to make dreams come true,” said Penn State DuBois Chancellor Anita McDonald. “For many students, no financial aid means no education. It just wouldn’t be possible for many to attend college without it. That’s why these gifts mean so much.”Â
Each year, nearly $200,000 in scholarship dollars is awarded to Penn State DuBois students through nearly 50 individual scholarship funds. The funds, established by the campus Office of Development, and through the generosity of donors, help to assure an affordable and accessible education remains in reach for area students.
 Steve Harmic, Penn State DuBois
