Dr. Anthony F. Crisafi Scholarship

This scholarship is being created in the memory of Dr. Anthony F. Crisafi, a professor of philosophy and humanities who had impacted the lives of over 15,000 students during his 17-year teaching career.  Anthony was an extraordinary person who overcame significant challenges during his youth - he was a survivor of childhood abuse, experienced homelessness, dropped out of high school, and was a teenage parent.  These are experiences that typically classify young people as "at-risk" and that ultimately reduce the likelihood of attaining a college education.  Yet, Anthony overcame these odds and, finding strength in his family, children, and a lifelong love of learning, persevered to earn his AA degree from Brevard Community College, his Bachelor’s degree from New College of Florida, and his Master's and Doctoral degrees from the University of Central Florida.  At the untimely and unexpected moment of his passing on May 21, 2017, he was also in the process of completing a second Ph.D. at the University of Jena in Germany.

As Anthony's family, we want to honor his memory by creating a scholarship for college students who are the first in their family to attend college, and who have also encountered life circumstances that made attending college, and continuing in college, difficult (e.g. homelessness; domestic violence; growing up in a home that had an absent, incarcerated, or deceased parent; physical disability; emotional condition, such as clinical depression or anxiety).  The scholarship will help fund selected students' tuition and other related college expenses (e.g. housing, books/supplies, meal plans, transportation, etc.).  We would like to make this scholarship available through a selected college or university foundation starting in Spring 2018.     

Anthony was an incredibly intelligent man with a beautiful soul. One of his former college students so poignantly stated on her radio show that "he planted a seed of knowledge in everyone he came across, and within us his memory will continue to grow".  Please help us honor his memory by donating to this scholarship which will give young people with similar challenges to Anthony a chance to achieve their dreams and impact society in their own positive way.  Our initial fundraising goal is $5,000, but we would like to raise as much as possible to allow scholarships to multiple students in the years to come.   

Thank you for reading Anthony's story and considering a donation.  We are very appreciative for any amount you can provide.  He believed so deeply in advocacy and giving back to his community.  This scholarship is certainly one way that we can support a future leader in Anthony's name.