Bishop Guilfoyle Academy graduate Estella Koch was awarded the Elda and Cav. Joseph Coccia Jr. Scholarship from Association of Italian American Educators at the Columbus Citizens Foundation in New York City.
The AIAE promotes discussion of educational issues impacting Italian Americans; supports formal and pertinent education; facilitates professional development for teachers; sponsors the Programma Ponte Scholarship Program (a course of study in Pisa on Contemporary Italy, designed for Italian American college and high school students); and recognizes, and presents awards to, outstanding Italian American educators and leaders of the community for their achievements in their professions.
Estella was recognized for her efforts in preserving Italian history with presentations on the Italian Ocean Liner “Andrea Doria” in Boston in 2024 and in Pisa, Italy in 2025. Estella had the pleasure of meeting Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli at his composer’s villa in Pisa. She traveled to Florence and the surrounding areas to study Italian culture and language.
Estella plans to attend Penn State Altoona this fall.