Supporting Local Students, Creating Lasting Impact
How Scholarships Shape the Hudson Valley's Next Generation
Over the past decade, the Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley has awarded more than 2,000 scholarships to students across our region. With that support, students head off to college, complete their degrees, and begin building their futures. But what happens next? Where do they go, and how do they give back?
Time and again, these investments pay dividends—not only helping students earn degrees, but strengthening the Hudson Valley for years to come as recipients return to live, work, serve, and lead.
We checked in with three former recipients to see where life has taken them. Their stories may differ, but each demonstrates the same truth: when local students receive support, they turn that opportunity into community impact.
From Young Historian to Elected Leader
Joseph D. Cavaccini started his career when he was just 12 years old. It was then that he was appointed New York State's youngest public official, as the Town Historian for the Town of Wappinger.
"I was always very, very passionate about the town and getting involved, so I knew I wanted to do something community-related," he says.
Joseph was grateful for the opportunities and childhood that his hardworking parents were able to give him. However, as he approached graduation from Roy C. Ketcham High School in 2017, he knew if he wanted to attend Marist College, he needed additional funding.
"We didn't have that kind of money, and I didn't want to be saddled with too much student debt," he says. "That's where the Community Foundations was able to really help."
Joseph applied for and won the Joseph H. and Mildred C. McManus Scholarship and the Maureen and Stan Straub Scholarship.
"They were community-focused and civic-minded scholarships, and that was my life at that point," he says. "It made it very easy, during what was a very stressful time, to figure out how I was going to pay for college, and it was very easy to apply."
The scholarships didn't cover all of Joseph's expenses, so he took out a modest student loan to bridge the gap.
"The scholarships helped significantly, but in the collegiate world, everything is expensive," he says. "I chose to stay at home and commute to school, so that was a cost savings too. I was able to stretch those scholarships very far."
Joseph has since built an impressive record of public service in his young career. In 2019, he was elected as the County Legislator for Dutchess County's 15th Legislative District. Then, on November 7, 2023, he was elected to be the 30th Town Supervisor of the Town of Wappinger.
"There is no more humbling feeling than 30,000 of your neighbors choosing to vote for you to lead your hometown," he says.
"The Hudson Valley is such a beautiful place with so much potential," he says. "I'm happy that I decided to stay local. I am tremendously grateful to the Community Foundations, and to the nonprofit organizations that supported me during that time, such as the Rotary Club of Wappinger Falls."
The support Joseph received helped him remain in the Hudson Valley, complete his degree and ultimately pursue a career in public service—one that now directly benefits the community that invested in him.
Building Community Through Books
Nicole Brinkley's father, Jeff, passed away from cancer when she was only seven years old. Her mother worked hard, but paying college tuition for Nicole and her two siblings was not feasible.
"I was not in the financial position to put myself through college on my own," explains Nicole, who graduated from Ketcham High School in 2010. "I knew that I had to hustle and try to get as much financial help as I could. The Community Foundations had a lot of scholarships available, for which I was very grateful."
Her goal was to cover at least some of the tuition costs to be able to attend SUNY New Paltz.
"I fell in love the moment I walked onto the campus," says Nicole, who double majored in journalism, with a focus in public relations, and in English.
A combination of Ketcham awards and Community Foundations scholarships—including the Joseph H. and Mildred C. McManus Scholarship, the Wappingers Rotary Scholarship, and the Melissa D. Bisaccia Memorial Scholarship—covered all of Nicole's first-semester expenses.
These awards provided meaningful validation of her potential and encouraged her persistence for the long haul.
"At the awards dinner, I was not told ahead of time what I had won, but I was told to sit up front," says Nicole. "That was because I kept getting called up for scholarships. It was a very enjoyable, surreal experience, and ultimately a very helpful one."
The assistance alleviated some of Brinkley's financial concerns about college and allowed her to try classes outside of her major, which, she says, ultimately changed her career trajectory.
After graduating from SUNY New Paltz and applying for several jobs in New York City, the hub of the publishing industry, Nicole eventually took a job at Oblong Books in Rhinebeck, where she currently lives, and has since risen to become store manager. Along the way, she has been chosen as a Publishers Weekly up-and-coming star in the industry and has served on the advisory councils of the New England Independent Booksellers Association and the American Booksellers Association. She has also been the recipient of several Bookseller Bonus awards from author James Patterson.
"I was very lucky to get such support from my local community and the Community Foundations, and it has been such a treat to be able to turn that back around and do so many community projects as part of my work at Oblong," she says.
At Oblong Books, Nicole organizes several events to drive support to local organizations. Each holiday season, she hosts Book Angel, which encourages readers to gift books to children in need.
"This past year, Book Angel gave out more books than ever," she says. "We also work with the Beacon Prison Books Project and host fundraisers for the Starr Library and BeckHook Pride."
"Being able to have my community invest in me early on has meant that I have been able to grow into a person who gets to invest back into their community, and that is one of the great joys of my life. I'm very grateful for that."
Because scholarships helped make her education possible, Nicole was able to remain in the Hudson Valley, where she now strengthens the region's literary culture and leads community‑minded programs that benefit thousands.
PR with a Purpose
Isabella Paquette currently holds down not one full-time job, but two, not because she has to, but because she wants to. As a senior account executive with Impact PR and Communications and the director of communications for the Office of New York State Senator Rob Rolison, she's motivated and hardworking, traits she learned from her parents and grandparents.
"My family and grandparents are all immigrants who had to work very hard," she says. "I've watched my parents work very hard my whole life, so I think it's in my DNA to make sure I put 100% into everything I do."
Over a decade ago, Isabella's grandfather received a letter explaining that his grandchildren would be eligible to apply for the Community Foundations' Stephen P. Becker Scholarship.
"It was set up by the man who used to run the company that my grandfather and mom worked for," she explains. Her mother held onto the letter until Paquette was ready to apply.
"Even though my parents diligently added to my college fund every year of my life, we knew that it wasn't going to be enough to cover everything," says Isabella, who graduated from Franklin D. Roosevelt High School in Hyde Park in 2018. "I applied for anything I could, and it played a big role in how much I was able to spend."
"My grandfather and mother always had these lovely stories about everyone that worked there and the work environment, so now I have a story too."
The scholarship covered all of her expenses at Dutchess Community College.
She later attended Marist College, where she graduated in 2022 with a major in political science.
"I always knew I wanted to study political science, but I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do," she explains. "My internships all landed in communications, and now my work has come full circle."
Paquette continues to live and work in the Hudson Valley because she wants to stay close to her family, who live here. Her continued success has also motivated Isabella to give back to the region. She is now chair of Dutchess Community College's annual gala committee and recently joined the Community Foundations' Dutchess County advisory board.
"I felt it was important because I received scholarships from the Community Foundations and others and graduated college debt-free," she explains. "The scholarships were a big reason why I was interested in giving back to the Hudson Valley. Growing, learning and spending more time in the Hudson Valley region, I see how special it is, and I like the beauty of it."
Her journey demonstrates the powerful ripple effect scholarship donors create: Isabella's success has led her not only to build her career in the Hudson Valley, but to reinvest her time and talents in the very organizations that first supported her.
By opening doors to education and opportunity, these scholarships do more than ease the cost of college. They help individuals and families move forward. Over time, that support grows into something bigger: a new generation of leaders, volunteers, and changemakers giving their talent, time, and resources back to the communities they call home.
