Liberty Bank Awards Kindness Scholarships to Three Recent High School Graduates

Liberty Bank President and CEO David W. Glidden is pleased to announce the recipients of the Bank's 4th Annual Kindness Scholarship.

This $5,000 scholarship recognizes eligible students who attend high school in a city or town served by Liberty Bank. To be considered, graduating high school students must consistently demonstrate kindness in everyday moments while maintaining an ongoing and significant impact in their community.

This year, three recent high school graduates were each awarded a $5,000 scholarship. The recipients are as follows:

• Julianne Guarraia, a recent graduate of East Lyme High School, will attend Providence College this fall. Inspired by her late sister's battle with cancer, Guarraia is co-director of Madeline's Wish Toy Drive, which gives toys to Yale New Haven Children's Hospital patients. She also volunteers with Miracle League and Viking Play It Forward. She was a three-sport varsity athlete and captain of both the East Lyme High School girls soccer and basketball teams. She also held leadership roles in the school's National Honor Society; Spanish Honor Society and the Super Sibs Program, which supports those who have experienced the loss of a sibling.
• Azemina Cecunjanin, a recent graduate of Old Saybrook High School, will study international relations on a pre-law track at Connecticut College this fall. Cecunjanin is an assistant teacher at the Bosnian American Cultural Center, where she performs a variety of tasks, including serving as a translator for Bosnian-speaking students and parents. She's logged hundreds of community service hours by participating in fundraising efforts, clothing drives, cancer awareness initiatives, blood drives and youth mentorship opportunities. In addition, she's served as an assistant youth soccer coach and held leadership roles in DECA, the Connecticut Association of National Honor Societies, the Community Outreach Club and the Old Saybrook Intimate Partner Conflict Awareness & Action Club.
• Jack Cote, an East Hampton resident and a recent graduate of East Hampton High School, wants to help communities during emergencies and natural disasters, and he will be part of the pre-apprentice lineman program at the Lineman Institute of the Northeast this fall. Cote volunteers with the Haddam Neck Volunteer Fire Department and at events like the Haddam Neck Fair and community dinners. He also volunteers with Special Olympics and local youth cycling programs.
  

"Julianne, Azemina and Jack are about to begin a new and exciting chapter in their lives, and we wish them the very best," Glidden said. "They demonstrate kindness, compassion and understanding every day, and we are so proud of all that they've accomplished. Team Liberty is pleased to award each of them a Kindness Scholarship. They demonstrate what it means to "Be Community Kind."

To learn more about Liberty Bank's Kindness Scholarship, visit liberty-bank.com/kindness-scholarship.

About Liberty Bank

Established in 1825, Liberty Bank, headquartered in Middletown, Connecticut, has over $9.0 billion in assets, 51 retail banking offices across Connecticut and Massachusetts and over 900 teammates. As a full-service financial institution, Liberty offers consumer and commercial banking, treasury management, home mortgages, business loans and investment services.