SAG-AFTRA Member, Family Member Awarded 2016 Union Plus Scholarships

Winners Honored for Achievement and Union Values

Union Plus recently awarded $150,000 in scholarships to 104 students representing 32 unions, including two winners representing SAG-AFTRA. This year’s group of scholarship recipients includes university, college, and trade or technical school students from 32 states. The SAG-AFTRA winners are: 

• Conner Calabro of Studio City, Calif. Calabro, whose father, Thomas Calabro, is a member of SAG-AFTRA, has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship. Calabro is a sociology and film and media studies major at Tufts University in Medford, Mass. Conner said her father, an active union member since 1982, showed her that simply being a member is not enough. “I’ve watched him stand behind the union issues, always supporting the propositions and legislation advocated by the union and in the best interest of its members,” she said.
• Tessa Germaine of Trabuco Canyon, Calif. Germaine, a 2016 high school graduate and member of SAG-AFTRA, has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship. Germaine, a union member since 2006, said SAG-AFTRA has ensured numerous benefits for her as a young performer, including safety, proper wages, and attention to her educational needs. “Being a union member has given me more opportunities as an actor, artist and person,” she said. “Without labor unions to look out for us, the labor force would greatly suffer.”

The Union Plus Scholarship Program, now in its 25th year, awards scholarships based onoutstanding academic achievement, personal character, financial need and commitment to the values of organized labor. The program is offered through the Union Plus Education Foundation. Visit UnionPlus.org/Scholarship for applications and benefit eligibility.