by Bea Peterson
When Hoosick Falls Central School sophomore Elizabeth Contessa returned to school on Monday after having been out sick for a week, all she had in mind was catching up on her work. A high school assembly at 9 am gave her something else to think about. EF Educational Tours Marketing Vice President Scott Dunphy announced that in a random drawing of thousands of students across the Country, Elizabeth was the winner of the company’s first $60,000 College Tuition Giveaway. [private]He said the Company chose the amount as it is equivalent to costs for tuition and expenses at the most expensive colleges in the Country. “Elizabeth can pay for one year of schooling or she can go to a less expensive College, and the educational trust can be used over two, three or four years,” he said.
Elizabeth was in shock! She was shaking as she came forward to receive the oversized $60,000 check. Fortunately her parents, Gary and Jennifer Contessa, were there to offer support. Elizabeth had no idea when she signed up for the nine day school Art Trip to Paris, Florence and Rome next spring that she was automatically enrolled in the giveaway.
“This is exciting for our school and our Town,” said Gary. “I’m proud of our Town and school. This is a dynamite school. We are lucky to be here.”
At this point all Elizabeth knows is that she loves art and wants to study it when she goes to college. Suddenly many more options are available to her. “From the time your kids are born you start to think of their future,” said Gary. “This is like 200 pounds off our shoulders.” The Contessas have two more children, Caroline and Raymond.
Elizabeth’s parents were notified of the giveaway on Thursday. At first they didn’t believe it was true. The hard part, said Jennifer, was not telling anyone. “We wanted her to be really surprised,” she said. Gary, who celebrated his birthday on Saturday, thought this might be a good time to buy a lottery ticket.
EF Educational Tours, a division of EF Education First is the world’s leading provider of academic, travel and language services.
“At EF, we believe that international experiences provide life-changing opportunities. When a student expands his or her global perspective through travel, the confidence and independence gained better prepares them for college,” said Shane Steffens, President of EF Educational Tours. “Today we’re proud to be taking our commitment to education one step further with this award. After getting to know Elizabeth and her family, we couldn’t be happier to help her with her college education and show her the world.”
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