Unlock the doors to higher education with NOIAW’s Scholarship Program. Each year, we proudly award 4-6 scholarships to deserving Italian American Women, enabling them to chase their dreams of higher education. Join us in our mission empower and support the future leaders of our community. Don’t miss the chance to apply and turn your academic aspirations into reality!
Empowering Italian American Women Through Education. Each year, NOIAW awards four to six scholarships, providing the opportunity for Italian American women to pursue their higher education dreams. The 2025 season has just ended, but keep following us for the 2026 edition’s details.
In my professional life being Italian has made me a passionate and hard worker. I see my family in the restaurant and their passion, and it makes me so immensely proud. I take so much pride in my culture and even in my own schoolwork and projects. […] Therefore, if you asked me how being Italian has affected my life, I would respond to you, “How has it not?”
— Nadia Santo
School of Visual Arts
BFA | Film
Donated by Judith Grimaldi
“As an Italian American, I value family traditions and opportunities for strengthening familial bonds… This theme of taking pride in one’s hard work echoes throughout my family’s history.”
— Juliette Guarino Berg
Teachers College, Columbia University
PhD in Science Education
Donated by The National Organization of Italian American Women in memory of former President Barbara Gerard
“Being Italian American, I get to be more than a passive consumer of societal and cultural norms… allows me to contribute to society in a way that adds value to the human experience and encourages the celebration of differences in identity.”
— Leah Buffalino
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Accelerated BS in Nursing
Donated by The National Organization of Italian American Women
“Learning Italian felt like reclaiming a part of myself and opening a door to new ways of communicating and thinking; it expanded my understanding of cultural identity, and connected me to a global community of Italian and Italian-American artists, scholars, and storytellers.”
— Melissa Marino
Columbia University
MFA | Theatre Management and Producing
Donated by The National Organization of Italian American Women in memory of former Board member Donna de Matteo
