On April 2, more than 700 alumni, parents, students, and friends of Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ gathered at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City and raised a record-breaking $2 million to support student scholarships. The evening also celebrated the achievements of exceptional members of the Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ community.
Since its launch in 1988, the Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ Awards Dinner has raised more than $24 million for scholarships, each contribution helping to empower more students and expand access to a transformative Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ education.
NBA TV host and alumnus Chris Miles ’03 returned as emcee of the event and ushered guests through an unforgettable evening. Scholarship support allowed Miles to attend Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ as an undergraduate and his gratitude and desire to give back motivate him in his role as emcee.
Student speaker and scholarship recipient Mekaylia Ingram ’25 thanked the community and spoke of the impact of scholarships on her Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ story, “Thank you to the people within this Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ community who uplifted me, walked beside me, and believed in me when I needed it most,” she said. “As I reflect on my journey, I am reminded of the transformative power of a Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ education — an experience rooted not only in academic excellence but also in community, resilience, and the call to serve something greater than ourselves.”
This year’s honorees were, Joseph R. Bronson ’70, principal and CEO of the Bronson Group, LLC; Adrienne Johnson-Dowling ’91, P’28, head of internal audit and SOX reporting at Apollo Global Management; Joan L. Lee, PhD, P’19 (formerly Joan L. Van Hise) professor of accounting and Deloitte fellow in accounting at Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ University; the Butala and O’Keefe families, Robert ’55 (posthumous) and Maureen O’Keefe, P’84, Patrick and Karen (Occhipinti) O’Keefe ’84, P’15, Mary and John Butala, P’20, and Joseph and Wendy O’Keefe, P’27; and special recognition to Jacqueline S. Kane ’87, former field hockey head coach at Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ University.
For more information on the Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ Awards Dinner or to make your impact and further our record-breaking total in support of student scholarships, please visit fairfield.edu/awardsdinner.
