Meet PLF Founding Funders Scholarship Recipient: Arianna Adonrno

Ever since she was young, Arianna Adorno has wanted to be a lawyer when she grew up. Now she is a step closer to her dream as the recipient of a PLF Founding Funders Scholarship. The Wilbur Cross High School graduate will use the award to help pay for attending the University of Connecticut, where she plans to take courses that will prepare her for law school.

“I’ve always been interested in being a lawyer since I was a kid,” said Adorno. “There are not enough Latina lawyers and there is not enough justice.”

The PLF Founding Funders Award is administered through the New Haven Scholarship Fund, whose sole mission is to provide scholarships to eligible New Haven students who have the most financial need and academic potential.

The second of five children, Adorno is a lifelong New Haven resident. She worked all through high school at various jobs after school and during summers vacations. At Wilbur Cross, she served as a member of the yearbook committee.

Going through high school during the middle of the pandemic was disorienting at first for Adorno, but she soon found that she was better able to focus on her academics while learning remotely. English was her favorite subject in high school, and she studied hard to get accepted into UCONN.

“I hope that I have a good experience there and that I can start living on my own and meeting new people,” she said.

In addition to her PLF award, Adorno’s academic performance and community service earned her a scholarship from New Haven Promise.

“My family inspired me most,” said Adorno. “A lot of people in my family, they didn’t get to go to college or even graduate from high school. I wanted to be one of the first to go.”