This year, the National Italian American Foundation awarded merit scholarships to 29 individuals out of an applicant pool of over 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students from around the country. Each scholarship is meant to recognize outstanding academic achievement, commitment to community service, and demonstrated passion for studies. Our major Francesco Spirli was awarded the George Randazzo Memorial Scholarship, in the amount of $5,000, which is meant to specifically recognize an outstanding Italian American undergraduate student athlete. It honors the legacy of George Randazzo, a U.S. Army Veteran who is remembered for founding the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame (NIASHF) as well as the Italian American Boxing Hall of Fame in Chicago’s historic Little Italy neighborhood during the late 1970s.