Seven Hartford-area seniors and Legacy Academy graduates and two program alum stand with Greg Jones, founder and executive director of The Legacy Foundation of Hartford and Lynne Bossart, Legacy college coach.
HARTFORD, CT — School’s just about out for the summer, and for the graduating seniors at The Legacy Foundation of Hartford, that means College Signing Day is here.
During this year’s event, held inside the University of Hartford’s Hillyer Hall on Saturday, May 17, 2025, seven area high school seniors were each awarded a four-year college scholarship of between $8,000 and $10,000 from the Legacy Foundation.
As part of the festivities, each student was gifted a sweatshirt, which revealed the name of the college they plan to attend in the fall. The students and their families were also treated to a celebratory breakfast at the event in recognition of their college acceptances.
“This is a culmination of their commitment over the years,” said Greg Jones, Legacy Foundation of Hartford’s founder and executive director. “We believe that with academic success, they can navigate the world.”
In addition to the seven seniors, two Legacy program alumni—both of whom have just completed their first year of college—were awarded scholarships in the amounts of $3,000, and $2,000, respectively.
The Legacy Foundation of Hartford provides academic and educational enrichment in math, English, social studies, science, nutrition, and civics to students in grades 3-11 through its Legacy Academy.
The tuition-free Legacy Academy is the core component of the nonprofit’s LEAP (Legacy Exposure and Access Program). Classes are held every Saturday morning throughout the school year. Twice-weekly tutoring lessons are also available to Legacy students who need additional academic support.
Besides the academic component, The Legacy Foundation of Hartford, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, provides a wide array of experiential learning excursions for enrolled students, such as: skiing, golfing, an HBCU college tour, performances at The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, and trips to Boston and New York to see professional basketball games, among many others.
The Legacy Academy relocated to the University of Hartford campus last April as part of a new community outreach partnership that the school says it is committed to strengthening.
“Seeing yourself on a college campus can make an impact,” said Christine Grant, UHart Assistant Vice President, Office of Inclusive Excellence and Belonging. “If you can see it, you’re here, you’re experiencing it—it becomes a possibility.”
Grant believes that the university also stands to benefit from the alliance.
“I believe that we have the responsibility to: one, prepare students—especially in an urban community—and then, by being a possible pipeline [for students],” said Grant.
In fact, Rickford Kirton, a graduating Bloomfield High School senior, will be attending the University of Hartford as an incoming freshman this fall. He is the first Legacy program graduate to do so.
Pictured left to right: Aneea Joiner, Legacy alum and Quinnipiac University freshman awarded nearly $1 million in scholarships; Tavis Williams, senior at Connecticut IB Academy, heading to Morgan State University; Hannah Morrison, graduating from Achievement First, will attend Eastern Connecticut State University; Joshua Hall, Legacy alum and University High School of Science & Engineering graduate, completed his first year as an Honors student at Hampton University on a full scholarship; Yaharyel “Yaya” Scruse, honors graduate from Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts, will attend Central Connecticut State University; Legacy College Coach Lynne Bossart; Rickford Kirton, Bloomfield High School graduate, attending University of Hartford; Bogdan Douglas-Voroneanu, graduating from Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy, will attend Morgan State University; Alden Green, graduating from CREC Academy of Aerospace & Engineering, attending Morgan State University; and Kudus Ahmed, CREC Academy of Computer Science & Engineering graduate, heading to Eastern Connecticut State University.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Greg Jones, Founder, Executive Director The Legacy Foundation of Hartford
(860) 614-1202
gjones@legacyfoundationhartford.org
