Nadina Bhadrasain, Harvard University, Class of 2029

In August, Nadina Bhadrasain stepped onto Harvard’s Cambridge campus, ready for the next chapter: Class of 2029.

The 2025 Waterbury Arts Magnet School graduate was buzzing with excitement. Her new classmates were “so nice” and “truly incredible,” she wrote, and she and her suitemates quickly set out to find the best ice cream and coffee spots around Harvard Square and Boston Commons. While on campus, Nadina wrote to the Foundation saying that being at Harvard “truly feels like a dream.” And she was grateful. “I’ve never been happier!”

Despite her very impressive high school resume, Nadina felt the nerves of freshman year. She was taking Harvard’s famously challenging CS50 class, a dive into computer science concepts like algorithmic thinking, data structures, and encapsulation, along with a first-year seminar on ADHD—one of her personal passions.

Nadina’s curiosity and drive reflect the spirit of Dr. Joseph J. Baxer, president of the United Nations Association of Connecticut and founder of the U.N. Scholarship Fund at the Foundation. Troubled by the historical suffering of immigrants and refugees, yet inspired by the U.N.’s 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Dr. Baxer dreams of a world in which “the inherent dignity and equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace.”

A daughter of immigrants, Nadina shares Dr. Baxer’s commitment to global engagement and human dignity. Thanks to the scholarship, Nadina is pursuing work that feels meaningful. “To me, thriving means working on projects I’m passionate about… projects that benefit and help others,” she says. “Only time will tell, but to be thriving means to be happy!”

Dr. Joseph Baxer

Dr. Baxer echoes her sentiment: “To be thriving is when body, mind, and spirit are balanced, and I can interact with people and events—with integrity, joy, and a positive attitude—using the gifts and energy I have to contribute to our human family.”

The Foundation’s Scholarship Program

Over the years, donors have established more than 160 college scholarship funds at the Foundation to benefit area students. Among the largest scholarship providers in Greater Waterbury and the Litchfield Hills, the Foundation has made nearly 8,000 scholarship awards from these funds — totaling over $18 million — to local scholars since 1999.

Find out more about scholarships that the Foundation offers here. 

Some important dates for the 2026/2027 academic year:

  • Scholarship applications for the 2026-2027 academic year will open December 12, 2025.
  • Renewing your scholarship: If you have received a general scholarship from the Foundation in the past, re-apply by January 15.
  • First-time applicants: If you have never received a general scholarship from the Foundation before, apply by February 17.