Pellegrini, Seeley, Ryan & Blakesley Gives Scholarships to Children of Labor-union Members

SPRINGFIELD — Five area students were each awarded a $1,000 Gerard L. Pellegrini Scholarship to advance their education by the law firm that bears his name.

The Gerard L. Pellegrini Scholarship is awarded annually to a union member affiliated with the Western Massachusetts Area Labor Federation or their spouse or dependent. Applicants are asked to submit their high-school or college transcripts, written recommendations, a recital of recent community service, and an essay detailing the importance of the labor movement to their family.

Winners of this year’s awards are Emma Cowles of Wilbraham, Samantha Franciosa of Granby, Emma Hayward of Pittsfield, Antonia Perakis of West Springfield, and Elizabeth Sarnacki of East Otis.

“This scholarship provides a yearly opportunity for the firm to demonstrate its commitment to helping union members and their families improve their lives through education,” said Earl Seeley III, a partner at Pellegrini, Seeley, Ryan and Blakesley, and grandson of Gerard Pellegrini. “My grandfather was a fierce advocate for worker’s rights and fought on behalf of injured workers for over 50 years — but before that, he was a working-class kid whose life was changed for the better by education. He never forgot that.”

Attorney and Partner Michael Cardaropoli, a member of the firm’s scholarship committee, added that “these students represent excellence in the pursuit of education and are illustrative of how unions can positively influence family life.”