$1 Million Challenge: Papitto Opportunity Connection Invites RI High School Students to Transform Their Communities

2025 Transform RI Scholarship Portal Opens Monday, Feb. 3

Providence, Rhode Island – Three years ago, Mariam Kaba, a Woonsocket teenager, dreamt of living in a community brimming with opportunities. Today, aided by Papitto Opportunity Connection’s Transform Rhode Island Scholarship, Mariam’s vision of restoring her village is coming to life.

Empowering Rhode Island high school students, like Mariam, to become agents of change in Rhode Island, is the vision behind the Transform Rhode Island Scholarship (TRIS). Mariam was the inaugural winner of the TRIS Scholarship, which now enters its fourth year with the opening of the applicant portal on Feb. 3.

How to Apply

To apply for the 2025 Transform RI Scholarship, students must simply answer one question:
If you had $1 million to improve the lives of those who need it most in Rhode Island, how would you do it?

POC will invest $1 million to make the winning idea come to life and will also receive a $25,000 scholarship to fuel their future. Nine other finalists will be awarded scholarships worth between $5,000-$15,000.

“Young people are eager to share their ideas and make a difference but often lack platforms to do so,” said Barbara Papitto, Founder of the Papitto Opportunity Connection. “The Transform Rhode Island Scholarship empowers teens to drive meaningful change, positively impacting both the scholarship recipients and our communities that need it the most.”


TRIS Winners Make a Difference in the Ocean State

Supported by a $1 million investment from the Papitto Opportunity Connection (POC), Mariam has worked tirelessly with Leadership Rhode Island, , to create real change in her hometown of Woonsocket. Aware that many in her community suffer from food insecurity and 69% of the town’s students rely on free school lunches, Mariam put her vision to practice, implementing a food pantry and access to a refrigerator at Woonsocket’s Harbour Youth Center. The pantry now services five different school communities in Woonsocket. She also collaborated with school leadership to create the “Think Tank” at Citizens Elementary School, which addresses mental illness and provides a safe space for young children. In addition, she has spearheaded job fairs, career development workshops, donation drives, financial literacy workshops, professional development seminars, supported small businesses, expanded reading resources, and increased accessibility to healthy food. She has also worked to beautify the community by cleaning up parks and adding murals at public spaces and schools.

2024 winner and Classical graduate Sebastian Connolly’s innovative tutoring programming is designed to recruit students from Rhode Island high schools with the most resources/best educational outcomes to tutor their peers at underserved schools. 2023 winner, Siya Singal from Wheeler, is fostering cultural pride in students at an early age. In a brief period, these students are making a difference and implementing real change in the Ocean State.

Miriam, Siya, and Sebastian each received a $25,000 TRIS scholarship and POC has invested $1 million to make each of their ideas become a reality.

Since TRIS was established in 2022, POC has invested more than $3.5 million in Rhode Island high school students. Twenty-six students from RI public, private and charter schools have received Transform RI Scholarships.

Students can submit an essay, video, or multimedia presentation Feb. 3 to March 31, 2025.

To learn more and apply visit: https://pocfoundation.com/transformri/