Scholarship Sees Its Roots
UConn Foundation newsletter Momentum, Summer 2006 issue
Two new scholarship funds at the University of Connecticut’s Waterbury campus will not only allow students to attend college who may not otherwise have the financial means to do so, but also provide a sterling example of the value placed on education among one immigrant family with deep ties to UConn.
Five adult children of the Aburdene family, who arrived in Waterbury as young Palestinian immigrants during the 1950s, have established the funds through an endowment worth more than $100,000. One is in the name of their parents, Felix and Olga Aburdene, and the other in the name of Philip V. Benevento, an English teacher at Crosby High School who influenced the life of the youngest Aburdene child, Elias ’74 (CLAS), now aged 53 and an investment banker in Washington, D.C.
Felix Aburdene arrived in March, 1956 from Bethlehem, in what was then part of the country of Jordan, and where he had served as the deputy mayor of the town. Not knowing anyone in America except a friend in Waterbury, over the next three years the family left the tumultuous Middle East in search of a better way of life for the children. The friend helped the Aburdenes settle into the community and assisted Felix in finding a job at a factory on Baldwin Avenue in Waterbury.
“You could say that [our parents] sacrificed their present for a better future for their kids,” says Elias.
All five siblings - Aida, Bassam, Elias, Maurice, and Odeh – are UConn alumni, and now professionals working as bankers, professors and teachers. Elias said they all remember their father’s 13-hour nighttime shifts – and their parents’ constant emphasis on education.
“My parents had a vision,” Elias says. “They stressed that, for immigrants, education was the step up and a way to assimilate into our new society. They arrived here at square one and with empty pockets. It was made clear to us all that education is critical to success in America.”
The primary scholarship, in the names of their parents, places a priority on applicants who are first-generation college students attending the Waterbury campus. The scholarship fund named for Benevento will benefit students who pursue studies in the Humanities or Social Sciences in Waterbury as well.
“Because they benefit those right within the Waterbury community, their gifts really hit home,” says William J. Pizzuto, interim director of the UConn Waterbury campus.“It represented the family’s past in such a personal way, and showed their genuine passion for both the city and their own education.”
Along with the scholarships to UConn, the Aburdenes also contributed to the Silas Bronson Library in Waterbury. On April 1, 2006, more than 180 people attended a 50th anniversary celebration of Mr.Aburdene’s journey to Waterbury, and the day was proclaimed Aburdene Family Day in the city.
“We’re just trying to thank the community of Waterbury for all it’s done for us, and recognize the importance of our teachers and education,” says Elias.“These scholarships are a way to remember and honor where we all started.”
For more information about the Olga and Felix Aburdene or the Philip V. Benevento scholarships, interested students should contact the Office of Student Financial Aid Services at 860.486.2819 or online at http://financialaid.uconn.edu.
