POC Will Invest $1 Million to Make the Winning High School’s Student’s Idea Become a Reality

Providence, Rhode Island –Waving aTransform RI Scholarship Golden Ticket, officials representing the Papitto Opportunity Connection recently traveled to high schools across the state, from Central Falls to North Kingstown – and more than a half dozen stops in between.

At each stop, the team surprised students during pep rallies, classroom visits, and assemblies with an exciting announcement: one student from each school had been named a Top 10 finalist for the 2025 Transform RI Scholarship.

For the fourth straight year, the Papitto Opportunity Connection offered high school students an opportunity to use their voice and be heard by asking for unique ideas on how they would strengthen Rhode Island’s communities with the greatest need.

This year, 637 students representing 64 public, private, charter and parochial schools from across Rhode Island high schools responded, sharing personal essays, thoughtful research, dynamic videos and multimedia presentations showcasing how excited they are about creating real change in their communities.

Addressing food insecurity in schools, launching a job skills education program centered on cleaning and restoring the Blackstone River and introducing a mobile unit that brings educational and mental health resources to underserved communities, these ideas were among the innovative and impactful initiatives that were chosen by a panel of judges for their potential to drive meaningful change in Rhode Island.

2025 Transform RI Scholarship Top 10 Finalists include:

• Rocco DeMartino – Cumberland High School
• Haven Hoenick – La Salle Academy (Providence)
• Safiyatu Gassama-  Blackstone Valley Prep (Pawtucket)
• Jace Goldstein – Moses Brown (Bristol)
• Melissa Gonzalez Gutierrez – Cranston West High
• Quadratullah Omari  – The Met School
• Nachiket Patel – Barrington High
• Jessiret Pena Gomez- Central High
• Kendra Ramirez-  Central Falls High
• Suhani Srivastava – North Kingstown High

The 2025 Transform RI Winner will be revealed during a celebration Wednesday, May 28, the Graduate hotel. POC will invest $1 million to make the winning student’s big idea become a reality. All TRIS Top 10 finalists will receive scholarships ranging from $5-$25000.

Since TRIS was established in 2022, POC has invested more than $3.5 million in this program.

About the Papitto Opportunity Connection:

The Papitto Opportunity Connection (POC) is a non-profit private foundation dedicated to listening and working together with Rhode Island’s communities in need to empower and create systemic change by investing in education, job skills training, health care and entrepreneurship. Established in December 2020, POC has provided support to hundreds of non-profit organizations across the state and invested nearly $100 million dollars to support programs that provide crucial services to uplift Rhode Island’s communities in need. Learn more at POCFoundation.com.