Joined by proud parents and local leaders, nearly a dozen Mount Saint Mary College students completed the Walden Savings Bank Medici Scholars Program on Thursday, May 5.
This academic year, the students – the sixth group to finish the prestigious initiative since its inception in 2015 – used their business insight to aid the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley to achieve its philanthropic goals. This culminated with presenting a $500 check to William Vacca, board chair of the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley and vice president of Business Development at Walden Savings Bank, at the ceremony.
Medici Scholars is a competitive program open to a handful of Mount Business students each year. It’s made possible through an endowed gift to the Mount from Walden Savings Bank. The program is overseen on the Mount’s campus by Anthony Scardillo, Medici faculty advisor and assistant professor of Marketing.
Through the generosity of Walden Savings Bank, the collaborative Medici program prepares students for leadership and principled corporate citizenship. The program introduces undergraduate Business and Accounting students to the world of arts and nonprofits to foster a better understanding of the important role the business community plays in supporting them.
At the completion ceremony for this year’s program, held at the Mount’s School of Business, Walden Savings Bank President and CEO, Derrik R. Wynkoop thanked the students for a job well done.
The program is named after the House of Medici, a banking family from 15th century Italy whose greatest contributions involved sponsoring art and architecture. For that reason, the Medici name is perfect for the program, said Wynkoop.