The Nick and Anna Monfreda Endowed Scholarship

Nick Monfreda ’00 remembers how hard it was to go back to school as a nontraditional student, working 30 hours a week while taking as many classes as possible to finish his degree quickly. In the midst of those stressful years, the economics major received the Robert K. O’Brien ’58 Scholarship, which he said made a huge difference in his ability to complete his education.“I drove a beat up Ford Escort – we literally had no money,” said Monfreda, recalling the lean years he and his wife, Anna, endured. “That scholarship saved us.”

After graduating, moving to Florida, and finding professional success in the information technology industry, Monfreda was at his home during the 2013 holiday season when he ran across paperwork reminding him of the scholarship.“I thought, that scholarship meant so much to me, I want to send a thank you note to the O’Briens to thank them for their investment in me and to update them on what I’m doing now,” he said. He contacted the WSU Advancement Office for help forwarding the letter, and the connection was made. Surprisingly, it turned out Bob O’Brien and his late wife, Barbara, lived just 25 miles away in Jupiter, Fla.“We ended up meeting and becoming friends. Now we get together for lunch every three or four months, even playing golf occasionally,” he said.

Now vice president of sales and marketing at CSPi Technology Solutions, Monfreda wants to pay the O’Briens’ generosity forward so he can make a similar difference in the life of a current Worcester State student. The Nick and Anna Monfreda Endowed Scholarship will be awarded to a nontraditional student majoring in economics or business administration who, like Nick so many years ago, has the drive and ambition to go back to school to get a degree. Economics professor Bill O’Brien was Monfreda’s favorite teacher—he switched his major from business to economics after taking O’Brien’s Intro to Micro-Economics course. As an upperclassman, Monfreda conducted research for Prof. O’Brien and was a credited as a contrbutor on a published paper as a result. Other faculty members also stand out, including recently retired Prof. Maureen Stefanini, who encouraged him to apply for scholarships.

“Worcester State faculty are just as invested in students as students are invested in their education,” he said. “I’ve always said that Worcester State is a transformational school. My opportunities were unlimited.”