Cape High teacher awards Italian scholarship to Alena Wright

It is true that teachers often say, “I don’t do it for the money.” Many do it because they know they will make a difference in a student’s life.

“My life has been touched by the young woman who will receive the Italian scholarship,” said Cristina Christy, Cape Henlopen High School Italian teacher.

“This is only the second scholarship I’ve awarded,” said Christy. “Both last year and this, Ms. Franca Riccardi of the America-Italy Society of Philadelphia sent funds to the Italian program at Cape Henlopen High school as a way ‘to foster the diffusion of the Italian language and culture.’ This year, the amount sent was even greater than last year’s, so I decided to award it all to Alena Wright, who is a truly deserving senior.”

While at Cape, Alena has dealt with many hurdles. She nonetheless never complained or used the challenges and difficulties as an excuse to get out of work. In fact, she somehow always managed to greet Christy each day with a renewed sense of determination and positivity. As in “I will be successful, and I will make the best of today and every day!”

“The day she informed me that she was going to study political science is when I knew that this student was the one,” said Christy. “My father [K. Robert Nilsson] was a political science professor at Dickinson College. It is because of him and my Italian mother that I grew up in Italy; that I fell in love with Italy, its language and culture. They are my why, the why I teach.”

The K. Robert Nilsson Center for European Studies is located in Bologna, Italy. It has always been Christy’s dream to have one of her high school students go to college and study overseas. It is her hope that this scholarship will help get students to Bologna.

“This young lady has no idea how much I admire her; I should have told her more often,” said Christy. “I have no doubt she will be successful; she looks forward to becoming the first in her family (other than two grandparents) to attend college.”