2023 -2024 AMHS Scholarship Winners Announced

The AMHS Scholarship Committee has reviewed and selected scholarship recipients for both the AMHS Scholarship and the newly created Angela Lastrico Raish Music Scholarship. The Society has been awarding the AMHS scholarships to deserving young students for over twenty years. Applicants must be exceptionally strong academic performers whose major or minor must be in either the Italian language or Italian studies. This year’s winner is Sofia DeLuca. 

As of this year, the AMHS is also managing the new Angela Lastrico Raish scholarship, which is funded entirely by memorial donations in Angela’s honor. The scholarship is offered nationwide to students who are Italian, Italian American, or who have a demonstrated interest in Italy or Italian Studies. The applications were evaluated by both the AMHS Scholarship and the Memorial Fund Scholarship Committees. The Angela Lastrico Raish team was able to award scholarships to five students: two doctoral students, two masters students, and one undergraduate. They are: Lauren Barchi, Javera Chaudhry, Giorgio Consolati, Sonia Fortezza, and Amanda Murro. 

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Winner of the AMHS Scholarship

Sofia DeLuca

Sofia will be a senior next Fall at George Washington University. She is majoring in Political Science with minors in Italian Language & Literature and Peace Studies. She is from New York and her family has its roots in the regions of Campania and Veneto. Ms. DeLuca’s academic performance has been excellent and she has a deep appreciation for both Italian culture and her ties to Italy. 

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Winners of the Angela Lastrico Raish Scholarships 

(listed alphabetically)

Lauren Barchi 

Lauren is a Doctoral Program of Musical Arts student at Rutgers University, majoring in voice performance. She is from New Jersey and her family has roots in the regions of Campania, Basilicata, and Piedmont. She is an accomplished opera performer, singing the role of Mimi in La Bohème this year. She also teaches voice at Rutgers and at Long Island University and is the music director at the Professional Youth Theater.

Javera Chaudhry 

Javera will be a senior this Fall at the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, majoring in Music Education with a concentration in voice. She is from New Jersey and her family has roots in the regions of Tuscany and Sicily. Her goal is to become a high school music teacher.

Giorgio Consolati

Giorgio is a Doctoral Program in Music student at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, majoring in Flute. A native of Milan, Italy, his family has roots in the regions of Lombardy and Campania. He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music from Juilliard. He performs extensively in the USA, shares his Italian heritage with his audiences, and hopes to be an orchestral musician and teach music students. 

Sonia Fortezza 

Sonia is a first-year master’s student at Montclair State University in New Jersey. She is majoring in vocal performance with a focus on Italian Bel Canto repertoire. She is from New York City and her family has roots in the regions of Sicily and Puglia. Her focus on Italian Bel Canto connects her to her Italian heritage, especially to her Nonna and Nonno. 

Amanda Murro 

Amanda is a graduate student at Montclair State University in New Jersey. She is majoring in music education and saxophone with a jazz focus. She is already teaching music and band to elementary school students. She is from New York and her family has its roots in the regions of Sicily and Campania. Her passion for music, especially the alto saxophone, was sparked at an early age by her nonno Salvatore who emigrated from Sicily and played tenor sax to help support his family in the United States.

The next edition of IL Notizario will feature letters of appreciation from all of the scholarship winners, as well as their photos and links to their performance videos.