2025 Scholarship Receipients
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OLIVIA BECKAGE
Olivia Beckage is an incoming graduate student of the Library and Information Sciences program at the University of Pittsburgh with a passion for learning about her family's heritage. As the descendant of Slovak and Rusyn immigrants who came from the Austro-Hungarian Empire to Scranton, Pennsylvania, she believes in connecting to those who make up the modern Slovak landscape. With an affinity for learning Slovak and a love for Slovakia's history, she hopes to use this knowledge academically, professionally, and personally.
ALESIA STASKIEWICZ
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Alesia is a proud 2025 S-ACC Scholarship recipient hailing from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A passionate advocate for Slovak heritage, Alesia has been actively involved in Wisconsin's Slovak community for many years. Her contributions include dancing and singing with the Tatra Slovak Dancers of Milwaukee since 2001, including traveling to Detva and Vysoke Tatry, Slovakia in 2007 to perform; participating in the leadership of the Wisconsin Slovak Historical Society; traveling and performing with the Slovak Catholic Sokols (Group 4); and traditional cooking and baking for local Slovak events. This scholarship and the Summer Language Institute at the University of Pittsburgh represent a dream come true for her, as she will be able to fully immerse herself in the language and culture of her ancestors, and a community she has been a part of her whole life.
Isabelle Winstead
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My academic journey now intertwines with profound personal significance: my maternal grandparents emigrated from Hatalov, Slovakia, creating a cultural heritage I seek to reclaim through language acquisition. This opportunity represents strategic preparation for my Fulbright application focused on energy community dynamics in post-socialist Slovakia. Linguistic proficiency will enable nuanced, community-grounded research methodologies essential for understanding local perspectives on energy democracy. This knowledge will form the foundation of my long-term aspirations: pursuing a joint JD and Master's in Sustainable Energy Systems at Stanford University, where I intend to translate field insights into policy frameworks that balance technical feasibility with social equity, ultimately contributing to more effective energy transition strategies for the region.
Emily Matta​
Emily Matta is a speech-language pathologist from Cypress, Texas. She earned a B.S. in Linguistics from Tulane University and an M.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Northern Arizona University. Currently, Emily works at a Title I elementary school, where she supports students in developing their language and communication abilities. As a descendant of Slovak immigrants, she is excited to experience Slovak culture firsthand this summer in Bratislava. She has always loved learning languages and is thrilled to have the opportunity to study Slovak through the University of Pittsburgh’s Summer Language Institute.
Emily is eager to connect with her heritage by learning the language of her ancestors, and hopes it will strengthen her sense of identity and connection to the Slovak-American community.
