College Women’s Club of Cranford Presents Scholarships

The College Women’s Club of Cranford awarded more than $8,000 in scholarships to graduating Cranford seniors at its annual banquet held on Tuesday, June 13 at the Westwood in Garwood. Each year the club also presents a Tribute Award to honor the everyday hero.
Christina Barlik will be attending Monmouth University majoring in special education. While attending Cranford High she was a member of the spring and winter track and field team and wad captain for the 2016-17 season. She was a member and vice president of the Future Educators Association. She volunteered at St. Michael’s Religious School as a teacher’s aide. She was president of the Quilting Club which made over 200 blankets which were donated to St. Barnabas Hospital. She was also a member of Building Bridges which is a club that works with children with special needs. Christina was a volunteer at a local soup kitchen and St. Joseph’s in Elizabeth Coalition for the Homeless.
Yueging (Grace) Chen will be attending Princeton University as an economics and health sciences (Global Health) major with a concentration in East Asian studies. She was a member of Yang Yi Guzheng Ensemble where as a soloist on the Guzheng, a traditional 21 stringed Chinese instrument, she was the Grand Winner at the National Young Musicians’ Showcase Competition at Carnegie Hall, the silver medalist at the Third International Zheng Competition in Hong Kong, and the first place winner at the Princeton international Chinese Music Festival. She was a speaker/performer at the Confucius Institute of Rutgers University. At Cranford High School, Yueging was a member of DECA, the team captain for the Mock Trial group and tutored students in math and English.
Erica Henninger will be attending the University of South Carolina Honors College majoring in biochemistry working toward a career in cancer research. She was a member of the Cranford High School Concert Choir performing at Carnegie Hall, Disney World, The Newark Basilica and many local events. Erica was a homework tutor at Primetime and a teacher aide for St. Michael’s CCD. She was a member of the National Honor Society and the Math Honor Society. She was a our year member, as well as a state delegate, of the Cranford High School Model United Nations. She was also a member of the Science Academy and a volunteer at the local Science Fair.
The University of Maryland is the destination of Rebecca Piassek where she will pursue a double major of journalism and political science. While at Cranford High School she was a member of the National Honor Society, the German National Honor Society, the Student Council, DECA, the Math League, and the Japanese Club. She was a four-year member of the Rotary Club and the German Club. She was a volunteer at the Food Bank of New Jersey and a Sunday School Assistant Teacher at Calvary Lutheran Church. Rebecca was a member of the Gender Equality Advocates Club, the American Sign Language Club, and the Blood Drive Committees. She was also a long distance runner on the Cross
Country team.
Molly Swanson will be heading to Virginia Tech where she will be a mechanical engineering major. Molly was a member of the National Honor Society, the Math Honor Society, and a four year member of the German Honor Society, she played softball and was a volunteer softball coach. She was a member of the German Club. She also took part in the Relay for Life program for three years.. As a mathematics major, Alexandra Taylor will be attending Colorado State University. Alexandra spent her sophomore year abroad, studying in Germany. She was a member of the varsity swim team in Kentucky and Cranford. She was a member of the Kentucky United Nations Assembly facilitated through the YMCA. As a member of the Kentucky Youth Assembly she was part of a group that presented a bill to improve sexual education in schools which was passed. She played the cello in the school orchestra and participated in the Louisville Youth Orchestra for five years. She was also a member of BETA which is a national community volunteer organization .
The College of William and Mary is the destination of Karina Vizzoni where she will be a biology-pre-med major working toward a career in cancer research. Karina has been a piano student for nine years. She was the fundraiser coordinator for the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation. She was a member of the Math League and the Math Honor Society. She was a member of P.R.I.D.E. and part of the steering committee. Karina was a writer and editor of the Prologue Literary Club. She was also a member of DECA , attended the state competition and received a second place award for the written test and a third place award for the oral component. The Tribute Award was presented to Caroline Sullivan who is a graduate of Union Catholic High School. She will be attending Penn State, University Park Campus, she was accepted into the Schreyer Honors College and will be majoring in Pre-Vet/Animal Science. Caroline was very active with Imagine, a local grief support group. She served as teen facilitator and received accolades from the group this year when she was honored for her work at an awards dinner sponsored by the support services. She was selected to be the first teen ambassador to Imagine. At Union Catholic she was a member of the National honor Society and the Spanish National Honor Society. She received the Prudential Spirit of Community Award for 2016. She was on the Honor Roll all four years of high school. She was a member of the varsity cross country, winter and spring track and field teams, and the cross country team captain.
The Tribute Award is funded entirely by contributions made by members of the club and residents of Cranford. Anyone interested in making a donation to the Tribute Award Fund in honor of or in memory of a friend or loved one may do so by contacting Arline McCloskey, 40 Manor Avenue, Cranford, NJ 07016.