UniFirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF), a North American leader in the supply and servicing of uniforms, workwear, and facility service products for businesses, recently unveiled the recipients of their 2021 Aldo Croatti and Ronald D. Croatti Scholarships.

The Aldo Croatti Scholarship, named in honor of UniFirst’s founder, is awarded annually to children of company employees. Since the scholarship was established in 2004, UniFirst has granted nearly $400,000 to assist students in their academic pursuits.

Each year, 12 Aldo Croatti Scholarships are awarded to exemplary students enrolled or enrolling in full-time undergraduate studies at an accredited two- or four-year college or vocational/technical school. Applications are open to children of full-time UniFirst or UniFirst subsidiary employees who have a minimum of one year of employment with the company.

The 2021 Aldo Croatti Scholarship recipients, who collectively received $24,000 toward their education goals, are as follows:

Rylee Bownds | Springfield, MO | Missouri State University

Isabella Dolce | Tampa, FL | University of Florida

Abigial Gosnell | Asheville, NC | East Tennessee State University

Arianna Hafen | Ivins, UT | Brigham Young University Idaho

Ethan Hinojosa | Holcomb, KS | Fort Hays State University

Chance Jackson | Broken Arrow, OK | University of Tulsa

Abigayle Levine | Saco, ME | Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Jenna Robinson | Bethalto, IL | Missouri State University

Kimberly Sanchez | Manor, TX | University of Texas at Austin

Kendra Wilson | Waterford, PA | Edinboro University

Cortlyn Wolfe | Topeka, KS | Baker University

Gabija Ziemyte | Owensboro, KY | University of Kentucky

“Supporting the progress and betterment of our UniFirst family, inclusive of both our employees and their children, serves to support the progress and betterment of UniFirst as a whole,” said Steven Sintros, president and CEO of UniFirst Corporation. "Supplementing the educational and professional goals of our family members was a tradition of both our founder, Aldo Croatti, and his son and former CEO, Ron Croatti. We honor the legacies of our past leaders and the endeavors of our current employees through these scholarship programs."

The Ronald D. Croatti Scholarship is the namesake of Aldo's son, who took over leadership of the company from 1991 until his passing in 2017. This scholarship offers financial assistance to full-time UniFirst employees who enroll in full- or part-time undergraduate or graduate study at an accredited two- or four-year college or vocational/technical school for an entire academic year. Since the scholarship was established in 2015, UniFirst has provided over $170,000 to UniFirst scholars.

The 2021 Ronald D. Croatti Scholarship recipients, who collectively received $42,500 toward their education goals, are as follows:

Monica Baietti | Windcrest, TX | University of Incarnate Word

Antonio Cousar | Salisbury, MD | Wilmington University

Todd Culberson | Ooltewah, TN | Bryan College

Jeremy Currie | Boise, ID | University of Arizona Global Campus

Lisa DeNicola | Saugus, MA | Salem State University

Sarah Gillis | Wilmington, MA | Southern New Hampshire University

Christopher Kantargis | Everett, MA | Rivier University

Jeffrey Levine | Saco, ME | Husson University

Keely McCarthy | Brimfield, MA | Bay Path University

Patricia Montanez | El Paso, TX | Western Governor University

Robert Shumway | Houston, TX | Houston Community College

Mike Wright | Charlotte, NC | Rivier University

The Levine family from Saco, ME, were the proud beneficiaries of two 2021 UniFirst scholarships. Ronald D. Croatti scholarship recipient Jeffrey Levine, who works as a Route Service Manager at the UniFirst–Portland, ME, location, is attending Husson University in pursuit of his Master’s in business. His daughter, Abigayle, received the Aldo Croatti Scholarship and will pursue a degree in elementary education at Saint Joseph's College of Maine.

“These scholarships are such a relief for my family, and they allow my daughter and me to go after our goals without worrying as much about the financials,” said Levine. “I’ve been fortunate to work for a company that cares so much about their employees, and these scholarships truly emphasize the company’s family values. UniFirst truly came through at this point in my life, and I’ll be forever thankful for that.”