Matthew Califano Named 2023 Coolidge Scholar

Lisa Stinson, Community Journalist

HARDWICK – Orleans Southwest Supervisory Union announce that Craftsbury Academy rising senior Matthew Califano was recently named a 2023 Coolidge Scholar by the Coolidge Foundation. Califano was one of five scholars selected by the Foundation out of a pool of 4,100 to receive a full academic merit scholarship to the college of his choice, pending admission, which is a separate and independent process. His selection followed a rigorous seven-month selection process which culminated in three days of in-person interviews and academic tests at the Coolidge Historic Site in Plymouth Notch, Vermont.

Califano is also a 2023 Vermont Presidential Scholar in the Arts and has won numerous awards for his writing, including first prize in the Dorset Theatre Festival Young Playwrights Competition, the Scholastic National Medal, and the NCTE Achievement Award in Writing First Class. He is interested in the lessons to be learned from the legal and economic policies of the ancient world, a member of the National Junior Classical League’s (NJCL) Latin and Greek Honor Societies and has won multiple gold medals on each of NJCL’s exams on National Roman Civilization, Hellenic Civilization, Classical Etymology, Latin Vocabulary, and Mythology. He is also a four-time National Latin Exam gold medalist and is a recipient of the Lillie B. Hamilton Award for the highest ranking student at NJCL’s annual convention.

Califano serves as a teacher’s assistant for Craftsbury Academy’s freshman English courses and volunteers with the Vermont Institute of Natural Science. He has won multiple cross country and track state championships in Vermont and recently qualified for the 2024 New York City Marathon. In addition, he has won gold medals for track at the AAU/USATF National Championships and in rowing at the US Rowing Indoor Nationals. Matthew is the son of Dr. Anca Rosca and Richard Califano.