A Day of Recognition and Gratitude at the 2025 Scholarship Luncheon
On April 4, 2025, members of the Pratt community came together at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden for the annual Scholarship Luncheon—a celebration of student achievement and the generosity that helps to make it possible. Each year, the event honors exceptional scholarship recipients and brings together donors, alumni, faculty, and students from Pratt’s vibrant and supportive community.
Chair of the Board of Trustees Gary Hattem welcomed guests with opening remarks that celebrated the scholarship recipients and acknowledged their academic achievements. “We continue to be amazed by your talent, dedication, ideas, and passion,” he said. Hattem also noted Pratt’s position as one of the top 10 art and design colleges in the world and said that students graduate “with both practical, career-defining skills as well as theoretical prowess.”
More than 300 donor-funded scholarships play a transformative role in the educational journeys of over 500 students, and Hattem highlighted several new gifts that are benefiting students: the Anastasi/Frank Family Endowed Scholarship, which supports incoming first-generation students, the Eric and Jane Nord Family Endowed Internship Fund, which provides funding to students who pursue unpaid or underpaid internships, the LMJ Award, which provides stipend support to juniors and seniors studying painting in the School of Art and funds essential materials for full-time undergraduate students, and the Mark “Buddy” Mendlovsky ’93 Endowed Scholarship, which supports full-time undergraduate students in the School of Architecture.
He also spoke of increased support for The Thomas F. and Tess L. Schutte Endowed Scholarship Fund following the recent passing of Pratt President Emeritus Dr. Thomas F. Schutte.
The luncheon featured one alumni donor speaker and two student speakers who both received The Kathryn and Kenneth Chenault Scholarship. Robert Zaccone, adjunct professor-CCE of undergraduate architecture and BArch ’71, spoke of his extraordinary familial connection to Pratt. His father, younger brother, and nephew, all attended and graduated from Pratt.
Zaccone began teaching at the Institute in 1979 and quipped that “more of my time has been spent on campus than the years I’ve spent in my home.” He gave a brief overview of Pratt’s history and encouraged those in attendance to read through the Prattfolio 125th Anniversary Commemorative Issue to learn about alumni achievements over the years.
“When I give talks about architecture to high schools at career days, I advise students that the doors to their futures are always open, whether they are 17 or 40 years old,” Zaccone said. “And you, Pratt scholarship recipients, are to be congratulated on your academic achievements and the promise of excellence in your future careers.”
Fatoumata Diallo and Rylee Ferguson, both BArch ’25, began their Pratt journeys together and have remained close friends and collaborators ever since.
“The [Kathryn and Kenneth] Chenault Scholarship has allowed me to focus on my studies and have less worry financially,” Diallo said. “I’ve been able to put my best foot forward in assignments with this security blanket.”
Ferguson emphasized the importance of The Kathryn and Kenneth Chenault Scholarship.
“I aspire to put into motion projects that others only have the tools to dream up,” she said. “I hope to be the laborer for those people’s dreams, designing the spaces where they can feel at home, where they can commune, and feel fulfilled.”
Trustee Hattem gave final remarks and reminded guests to take home their gift—work by Caroline Hsiao, MFA Communications Design ’25, and recipient of the William L. Longyear Scholarship—as a memento of the occasion. He encouraged those gathered to explore the gardens outside and attend Pratt events throughout the spring.
“I look forward to seeing how we build, create, and make new futures—and even new worlds—together,” Hattem said.
To learn more about giving at Pratt Institute, please visit: https://www.pratt.edu/pratt-giving/.