Scholarship Programs in India

Alfredo Cuomo Scholarship Program

The Scholarship Program was founded by Alfredo Cuomo in 2004 in Kovalam to assist young gifted students, attending the Cuomo Foundation school, to continue their studies at colleges and universities. Alfredo Cuomo, had been a recipient of the international Fulbright Scholarship, which had enabled him as a young student to develop his own academic potential.

The scholarship provides each student with financial funding to help support their chosen field of study. In addition, workshops, seminars and field trips are organised for their benefit.

Awarded annually at the start of the academic year to a number of boys and girls in their final senior year. Selection is decided by the Foundation, working in collaboration with the school masters and the parish priests and is based on the academic potential, merit and economic situation of the individual student.

The scholarship was extended to be available to the senior students in Sendivakkam and K.G. Kandigai in 2007.

Over 500 students have benefited from these life-changing awards and a large percentage are now gainfully employed in various professional areas such as engineering, catering, nursing, teaching, dentistry, medicine and management.

Elena Cuomo Scholarship Program for Female Pupils

This program was established in 2014 to assist academically bright young girls to continue in higher studies.

The aim of this new scholarship program is to identify and support gifted female students from the three secondary schools in Kovalam, Sendivakkam and K.G.Kandigai funded by the Cuomo Foundation. A total of three scholarships will be awarded annually to girls achieving the highest scores of the public government exams taken in late March, at the end of the 10th standard. The scholarship will be granted on a yearly basis for a maximum of two years support in secondary school and a further three to five years support in University and is subject to the pupil maintaining a high academic level each year. The amount of scholarship will cover the total annual school fees and then University tuition fees.

For the academic year 2014-2015, the first recipient of this new scholarship was Ms Shabana Asmin who attended St Joseph’s Higher Sec. School, Kovalam. In 2013, Shabana Asmin scored the highest regional marks for the 10th standard public government school examination: an outstanding average of 96.6 %. Shabana has been accepted to study on the Aeronautical Engineering course at the prestigious Sathyabama University, Chennai and commenced her 4 year-course in 2015.

For the academic year 2015-16, three girls were awarded the scholarship on the results of the 10th standard exam.

Ms Deepa Lakshmirpathy
Alfredo Cuomo Higher Secondary School, Sendivakkam

Ms Amala Gangatharan-Ponnamma
St Charles Higher Secondary School, K.G.Kandigai

Ms Desia-Geetha Desappan
St Joseph’s Higher Secondary School, Kovalam