A scholarship honoring Army SSG Sal Giunta, recipient of the Medal of Honor, has been established by the Brian LaViolette Foundation. The scholarship recognition pays tribute to the memory of SSG Giunta’s fallen comrades, Sgt. Josh Brennan and Spc. Hugo Mendoza who were killed during the Korengal Valley, Afghanistan battle.
Giunta is a 2003 graduate of Kennedy. When approached by the Brian Laviolette Foundation about establishing the scholarship, Giunta was willing only if the recognition was in honor of Brennan and Mendoza.
Giunta will present the scholarship to the selected recipient at Kennedy’s annual Senior Recognition Night. The event will be held in the auditorium at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 1, 2012. Giunta will address the seniors and their family who are invited to the recognition night.
“We are very proud of Sal Giunta and honored to have an annual scholarship in his name. We are especially excited to welcome Sal home to Kennedy High School for our special recognition night. What an honor for all of us,” Dr. Mary Wilcynski, principal, said.
Community members will be able to greet Giunta from 5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Seating for Senior Recognition Night is limited to Kennedy seniors and their family members.
The foundation, founded in 1992, has presented more than 450 scholarships to deserving college-bound students. The Scholarship of Honor program was unveiled in 2004 in Menasha High School in Menasha, Wisconsin. It is one of the few high schools in the United States with two Medal of Honor Recipients.
Twenty-five Scholarship of Honor awards will be presented this spring through the foundation. The newest Scholarship of Honor is in recognition of Sal Giunta. For more information on the foundation, visit www.briansjourney.com.
