AMHS Scholarship Winners for Academic Year 2026-27
By Ray LaVerghetta, Chairman, AMHS Scholarship Committee
Each year the AMHS awards a scholarship to two outstanding students who have demonstrated exceptional academic achievement, a strong interest in the Italian language and culture, and a keen desire to deepen their relationship with Italy. This year has been no exception. Our Society is proud to announce that the scholarship winners for the 2026-2027 academic year are Sophie Biernacki and Rocco Bristow. Both winners embody the skills, interests and aspirations that are typical of our annual awardees and that make them so impressive and so promising.
Sophie Biernacki
Ms. Biernacki is from Seattle, Washington, and is a rising junior at the University of Washington. She has Italian background on her maternal side, as her maternal grandfather was born in Monza, Lombardy. At the University of Washington, she is double minoring in Italian language and culture and Textual Studies and Digital Humanities. Her career aspirations focus on education and business. We copy below her letter of thanks to the Society for her award:
Thank You Letter from Sophie Biernacki
Dear Members of the Abruzzo and Molise Heritage Society Executive and Scholarship Committees:
I am deeply honored to accept your scholarship for the 2026–2027 academic year and sincerely thank you for selecting me as a recipient. Receiving your letter of congratulations was incredibly meaningful, and I am especially appreciative of your recognition of my academic work, commitment to Italian language and culture, and aspirations in education and business. Your confidence in me is both humbling and motivating.
What makes this recognition particularly special is that it comes from an organization whose mission closely reflects values that have shaped my life: preserving culture, strengthening community, and investing in future generations. Your support represents much more than financial assistance; it is encouragement to continue pursuing work that connects people across languages, cultures, and borders.
My connection to Italy has always been rooted in family. Although I first traveled there at age nineteen, Italian culture surrounded me long before that through language, traditions, music, and the rituals that structured everyday life. Some of my earliest memories are of weekends with my grandparents, where meals stretched for hours and conversations moved naturally between stories, history, and family memories. Those experiences taught me that identity is not something inherited once; it is something continuously practiced and preserved.
Today, I study French and European Studies at the University of Washington while pursuing minors in Italian Language & Culture and Textual Studies & Digital Humanities. My academic interests center on language learning, multilingual education, and international engagement. I believe language creates belonging, and that has shaped much of my work outside the classroom as well. I co-founded and now lead my university’s Italian Language and Culture Club, conduct research in Italian linguistics, and continue seeking opportunities to expand access to Italian language learning for younger generations.
This scholarship will directly support those goals by helping make possible continued language study, research, and immersive educational experiences in Italy. More importantly, it allows me to devote greater attention to projects that matter deeply to me: building spaces where students discover language not simply as an academic subject, but as a pathway toward connection and cultural understanding.
As I continue my studies, I hope to contribute meaningfully to the preservation and growth of the Italian language and culture in academic and community spaces alike. Whether through research, education, or service, I want my work to reflect the same commitment to cultural continuity and opportunity that organizations like yours so powerfully demonstrate. Please know that I accept this award with sincere appreciation and with a strong sense of responsibility. I intend to honor your investment through hard work, continued engagement with Italian culture, and service to others. I also hope that one day I will be able to create similar opportunities for future students, just as you have done for me.
Thank you again for your generosity, encouragement, and belief in my future. I am proud to join the community of AMHS scholars and look forward to continuing to strengthen my ties to Italy and the broader Italian-American community.
Con profonda gratitudine,
Sophie Biernacki
Rocco Bristow
Mr. Bristow, a Pittsburgh native, is a rising sophomore at the University of Pittsburgh, where he is majoring in Political Science and Italian Studies. He has Italian background on his maternal side, specifically from the regions of Abruzzo, Molise and Calabria. He intends to go to law school following graduation. Below is the letter of thanks he has written to the Society for his award:
Thank You Letter from Rocco Bristow
Dear Abruzzo Molise Heritage Society,
Words cannot fully express my gratitude and appreciation for receiving the Abruzzo Molise Heritage Society Scholarship for the 2026–2027 academic year. Through my studies at the University of Pittsburgh, I have continued to live the core values of my Italian heritage in both my academic and personal pursuits.
The financial support will greatly assist my family and me with the burden of college tuition. Furthermore, this scholarship will help me continue my education in the fields of Political Science and Italian Studies.
The generosity and kindness shown by the selection committee have deeply inspired me, and I hope that one day I will be able to pay this generosity forward to the next generation of Italian students. I could not imagine the look on my grandfather’s face if I told him of this prize! For him to see the fruits of his labor, and the struggles endured by him, his family, and so many other Italian Americans, rewarded through the opportunities afforded to the next generation would mean the world to him.
Again, thank you. This program illustrates the pinnacle of Italian culture, conserving the history and culture we hold so dear to our hearts, whilst extending generosity and kindness to the next in line. Grazie!
Best Regards,
Rocco Bristow
Fall 2026