Ninah Grant ’24, of Hartford, has been awarded Watkinson School’s Monique Colletti Leadership Grant.

Submitted by Jenni French, Watkinson School

Watkinson School is pleased to announce that our private school has awarded the Monique Colletti Leadership Grant to 10th-grader Ninah Grant of Hartford, CT.

Upper School Head Ryan Reese adds, “We are so excited for Ninah, as she is not only deserving of this award due to her application materials, but, more importantly, because she continues to find and embody leadership roles within our community each day. She wrote about examples of leadership from her own life and from history in her essay for the award, and she has stepped into important leadership roles within Ravens and Titans, our BIPOC affinity groups, this year, as well.”

The fund supporting this grant was established in 1998 by family and friends in memory of Monique Colletti, class of 2000, who died in a car accident on June 27, 1998 while returning home from a school-related trip to the American Youth Foundation’s international youth leadership program at Camp Merrowvista. At the time, Monique was a 10th grader.

This award intends to nurture students’ efforts to enhance their leadership skills. The Collettis want nothing more than to see young people have the opportunity which Monique had when she attended Merrowvista; the opportunity to hone their skills as leaders and prepare themselves to make a difference in the world.

The Colletti Leadership Grant is awarded every other year to a student leader who is energetic, sympathetic, and has the curiosity for knowledge and the experience necessary to attend a leadership camp or program. The recipient is chosen on the basis of a written application essay, as well as the input of two adult references. The awardee then seeks a program of interest, submits it for consideration and approval, attends the program, and then reports back to the Watkinson community about the experience.  The student will also report to the Colletti family by writing a summary about the impact of the experience. The grant provides up to $1,200 to fund an experience with a leadership program.

Watkinson School, a private school for grades 6-12/PG, is Hartford, CT’s oldest co-ed independent day school. To schedule a tour of our private school and to see what our students’ parents and alumni have to say about their experiences at Watkinson School, click here. Our next info session for prospective families is April 7 at 9 a.m.

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