Cheshire’s Lights of Hope has selected Cheshire High School graduates Alyssa Romano and Sharon Bian as the organization’s 2015 scholarship winners, awarding each $2,000 in recognition of extraordinary community service.
Romano is an honors student and avid promoter of child abuse awareness and prevention. Through her volunteer work with the Greater Waterbury Exchange Club and other organizations, she helped raise funds and distribute educational materials at health fairs, schools and libraries about child abuse prevention.
At Cheshire High School, she launched the Cheshire High School Excel Club, an after-school organization dedicated to child abuse awareness. She also created the Lovin’ Looms project, which provides new parents with hand-knitted infant hats. Inside the packaging is a message about the dangers of Shaken Baby Syndrome and tips for soothing a crying infant.
She is studying finance at Florida Gulf Coast University.
Bian spent four years as a volunteer at Yale New Haven Hospital, where she delivered books to patients’ rooms and trained new volunteers in her role as youth leader. She also volunteered in the Radio Oncology department at Smilow Yale Cancer Hospital.
At Cheshire High, she served as news editor for the school newspaper, The Rampage, and as a writing center tutor. She also was a member of the math team, National Honor Society, English National Honor Society and the varsity track and cross-country teams.
Bian, who has been studying piano since age 6, entertained residents at Elim Park weekly through the nursing home’s junior volunteer program.
She is studying biology at Dartmouth College.