McGowan Scholarship Awarded

 To Newtown Resident

Meghan A. Addessi, a member of the junior class at the University of Scranton, has been named a William G. McGowan Scholar for the 2009-2010 academic year. The scholarship comes with an $18,000 award, which Meghan plans to use toward her tuition.

The William G. McGowan Scholarship Program is offered to a select group of 60 colleges and universities across the country. Each participating school selects a business student scholar through a rigorous process, in which academic achievement, leadership, interpersonal skills, and significant involvement in on-campus and community activities are measured. In addition, the selection process further takes into consideration excellence of character, spirit of innovation, and entrepreneurial potential exhibited by each nominee.

Meghan is currently studying at Scranton’s Kania School of Management, where she hopes to earn a degree in business management.

During her studies at the University of Scranton, Meghan has maintained Dean’s List honors.

In addition to her academic achievement, Meghan is active in various clubs and groups, including the Jr Chamber of Commerce and Jr Achievement, the university’s business club as acting secretary and mentoring program, and has tutored fellow students.

In an essay required for the scholarship, Meghan wrote how she could relate to William G. McGowan, a pioneer in the telecommunications industry and founder and former chairman of MCI Communications Corp, through her own experience growing up in a family business that spans three generations. The overall theme of her essay was, in order to be a successful leader, one must know all aspects of the business that he or she is involved with from the ground up.