Resident Lin Hertberg is hoping many Newtown graduating seniors will apply for the Hertberg Family Foundation Scholarship this year through the Newtown Scholarship Association (NSA).

Hertberg and his family established the $10,000 annual scholarship to support a student annually through their undergraduate studies.

“I’m hoping, number one, for a large number of people to apply,” Hertberg said in a recent phone interview.

The deadline for submitting applications this year is March 1. Information on applying for the scholarship is available on the NSA’s website, newtownscholarship.org.

Hertberg explained that the scholarship was established because his late wife, Bernal Hertberg, was a recipient of a college scholarship from a gentleman who had lost his wife and was looking for a way to honor her memory.

“That scholarship changed her life,” Hertberg said of his wife, who went on to dedicate her life to scholarship and philanthropy, “and it definitely affected her whole life... We hope that we can change people’s lives.”

The Hertberg Family Foundation was established to continue supporting worthy students in their academic goals by helping them financially, offering a means to attend the school of their choice.

Since the scholarship was created, three recipients have earned the scholarship, and all have said in recent interviews that it did change their college decision. Each expressed gratitude for the scholarship and to the Hertberg family.

“We’re very, very pleased with the results,” said Hertberg, adding that all three of the recipients are “wonderful people.”

Maddy Albee, the first recipient of the scholarship, is set to graduate from the University of Maryland in 2022; Sienna Cummings was the second recipient, and she plans to graduate from the University of Virginia in 2023; and Colton Procaccini, the third recipient, expects to graduate from the University of New England in 2024.

Maddy shared that receiving the scholarship allowed her to find the school and path to a career that she “needed.” Studying biodiversity and conservation biology near Washington, DC, she said, is allowing her to picture “myself working in DC for a good long while, if not the rest of my life.”

For students applying for the scholarship this year, Maddy recommended, “Be your most authentic self.”

“Be who you are and embrace it,” said Maddy. “Go after what you are passionate about, your dreams and your goals, because that is where you are going to be successful.”

The entire Hertberg family, she added, are the “nicest people,” and Hertberg has “such a kind heart” for graciously offering the scholarship annually for students.

“For me,” Sienna said in a recent e-mail, “receiving this scholarship allowed me to go to my top school and pursue the major I am interested in. When it came down to deciding where I was going to attend school, I was torn between three choices, my favorite one being the most expensive. Receiving this scholarship made it possible for me to enroll in the program that would be the best fit for me.”

Sienna said graduating seniors who live in Newtown should not hesitate to apply for the scholarship, as it has the potential to “make a significant impact on your college decision and there is nothing to lose in trying.”

“This scholarship made me realize that all of my hard work throughout high school and the college application process had paid off,” Sienna wrote. “There is no question that college is expensive and even though you may have worked extremely hard and tried your best, it does not mean that you will be able to go to the school you want, even if you are accepted. That being said, this scholarship put everything into perspective and proved that all that effort was worth it. Because now I am able to go to the school I love, while being able to afford it.”

She also expressed gratitude to Hertberg and his family, and said, “The Hertberg scholarship can create many opportunities for Newtown students and is worth every effort.”

Colton remembers receiving a phone call while he was lying in bed, and jumping up to tell his parents that he had been awarded the Hertberg Family Foundation Scholarship.

“When we got that scholarship I was just so happy to tell my parents and to help the family financially,” said Colton, adding that he is grateful to be studying marine biology and that the scholarship helped to make that happen.

The scholarship, he added, is giving him a step up by allowing him to go to college and to better prepare for his future.

To students who are thinking of applying for the scholarship, Colton said, “Work your hardest and try your best... Try to be as honest as possible and highlight your good attributes. And try to be a good person. Try to be yourself.”

Colton said he is grateful to the Hertberg family and said they are all “a great group of people.”

NSA President John Morlock shared that the Hertberg Family Foundation Scholarship was set up with the high cost of college in mind. While many students are forced to choose to attend a college based on a financial decision, the scholarship was created to help students choose a college based on scholarship goals. From his experience in the last two years, Morlock said the scholarship has done just that.

Hertberg, Morlock added, has been supporting local students for decades, and the creation of the scholarship further extended that support to help them set themselves up for their professional lives. Morlock also said the NSA was established in 1935 with the goal in making college for affordable for Newtown students.

Applications for all of the NSA’s scholarships are available on its website, newtownscholarship.org.