Branford High School Grad Jenna DeFrancesco Honored With Rotary Award

BRANFORD, CT — Branford High School graduate Jenna DeFrancesco was awarded a $3,000 ‘Service Above Self’ scholarship by the Branford Rotary.

DeFrancesco, who will attend Salve Regina University, plans to study psychology. She was one of three 'Service Above Self' winners, an award given annually to high school students from Branford who excel both in the classroom and in the community.

DeFrancesco was captain of the BHS girl’s volleyball team, a National Honor Society member, and belonged to several clubs in high school, including Interact, which is the youth version of Rotary for those ages 12-18. Teachers and coaches credit her “drive, compassion, integrity and work ethic,” and said she, “never fails to rise up to a challenge.”

“Service, to me, is choosing to do a task or tasks not necessarily required, but helpful to someone else’s development,” DeFranceso was quoted as saying. “Knowing the people I help can rest a little easier, or are a step closer to reaching their personal goals, has been and continues to be an experience that I value greatly.”