Kick Off For The 2025 Transform Rhode Island Scholarship Program
Pictured above standing, left to right: TRIS Leader Chachi Carvalho, TRIS scholarship recipients Adrian Bautista (The Met), Caroline Kanaczet (St. Mary Academy – Bay View), Zach Pinto (Emerson U/Shea), Kaitlyn Santilli (La Salle), Zach Jean-Pierre (Cranston West), Jalisa Ramos (CCRI, The Met), Daisha Jackson (The Met, SNHU online) and POC Founder Barbara Papitto. Front kneeling: TRIS scholarship recipients Reyan Data (Moses Brown), Nico Upegui (Yale/North Providence) and 2024 TRIS winner Sebastian Connolly (Harvard/Classical). Also pictured, Gregg Perry, Siobhan Carroll and Deb Weinreich from The Perry Group.
Sebastian, a Classical High School grad and freshman at Harvard, is preparing to implement his winning TRIS idea—a peer-to-peer tutoring program which is supported by Papitto Opportunity Connection’s $1 million investment.
Who will be next?
For the fourth straight year, POC is listening and investing in young people in Rhode Island. In 2024 we received 465 applications from RI high school students representing 67 public, private, parochial, and charter schools across the state —from Woonsocket to Westerly. Help us reach our goal this year of 1,000 applicants!
To apply, RI high school students must simply answer one question:
If you had $1 million to improve the lives of those who need it most in RI,
how would you do it?
POC has once again committed to investing $1 million in making the winning idea a reality and the winner will receive a $25,000 scholarship. Nine other TRIS finalists will receive scholarships worth between $5,000 and $15,000 each.
Applications will be accepted from Feb. 3 through March 31, 2025. For more info or to apply, visit here.