{"id":210779,"date":"2020-02-03T14:27:02","date_gmt":"2020-02-03T19:27:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/?p=210779"},"modified":"2020-02-13T17:37:23","modified_gmt":"2020-02-13T22:37:23","slug":"college-for-five","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/2020\/02\/03\/college-for-five\/","title":{"rendered":"College for Five: Quints Commit!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>(This story was updated on Feb. 13, 2020)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>For many college-bound seniors, worries about paying tuition can temper the joy of being accepted. For the Povolo quintuplets of Totowa, New Jersey, those concerns were multiplied by five.<\/p>\n<p>But that anxiety lifted when they accepted Montclair State University\u2019s offer of five Presidential Scholarships for high-achieving students \u2013 one for each sibling, Victoria, Masha, Ashley, Michael and Marcus. The offer also included need-based grants and small merit scholarships that amounted to a tuition-free four years for the family.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThank you, Montclair State, for allowing us this amazing opportunity and this special blessing,\u201d said Victoria Povolo, the oldest of the quintuplets, who had been the one to first explore financial aid with the University.<\/p>\n<p>Victoria\u2019s siblings and parents learned of the offer in a surprise reveal at Passaic Valley High School on Monday, Feb. 3, which had been orchestrated by Montclair State Undergraduate Admissions and Passaic Valley High School counselor, Diana L. Pasquariello.<\/p>\n<p>Because they are all high-achieving students, they met the criteria for the University\u2019s Presidential Scholars Program, which rewards accomplished New Jersey students with a $5,000-a-year scholarship and additional academic, research-driven and career-focused activities, as long as they maintain the required grade point averages for all four years.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Video: Quintuplets Accepted as Presidential Scholars at Montclair State\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KKlZes5ILdo?feature=oembed\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen style=\"width: 500px; height: 281px; border: 0px solid #000;\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The ruse for the reveal was that the quints and their unsuspecting parents were scheduled to meet with guidance staff \u201cto explore ways to pay for college.\u201d When they arrived, they were greeted by the University\u2019s mascot Rocky with balloons and a giant replica check made payable for five higher educations.<\/p>\n<p>The proud parents were visibly moved and relieved, as the cost of college had been a concern since their children were born.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe worried about that a lot,\u201d recalled Paolo Povolo. \u201cWe wondered, will we have to refinance the house? How much aid can we get? The last several months while they were applying to college have been so stressful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Tears flowed with word of the scholarships and the financial assistance, which, times five, could be valued in excess of $250,000 over four years.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour world can change in a moment,\u201d Silvia Povolo said, stunned.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"responsive-image-holder wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"mlt-responsive-image\" data-original-image=\"\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2020\/02\/2020-02-03_quintuplets-2.jpg\" src=\"\/responsive-media\/cache\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2020\/02\/2020-02-03_quintuplets-2.jpg.0.1x.generic.jpg\" alt=\"Silvia Pavolo\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Silvia Povolo reacts as the family learns that not only has Montclair State accepted all five of her children, but that their high grades and achievements have earned them generous scholarships that cover tuition and fees.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The quintuplets, first-generation Americans and the first generation to attend college, have been making news since the day they were born on the Fourth of July, 2002. A local newspaper dubbed them \u201cFive Little Firecrackers\u201d on their first birthday. When they turned 7, they shared their thoughts about the Independence Day displays. \u201cWe know they\u2019re not for us, but we like them anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>They each had choices when it came to colleges. But, in the end, they wanted to stay together.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey were looking at different colleges, but there\u2019s a bond that I can\u2019t explain that is there,\u201d their mother said. \u201cSo even though they have their own lives, at the end of the day, everybody comes home.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"responsive-image-holder wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"mlt-responsive-image\" data-original-image=\"\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2020\/02\/020320_6596_ADM-Povolo-Quintuplets-s.jpg\" src=\"\/responsive-media\/cache\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2020\/02\/020320_6596_ADM-Povolo-Quintuplets-s.jpg.0.1x.generic.jpg\" alt=\"Quints wearing Montclair State University shirts and posing with Rocky mascot\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Povolo quintuplets pose with Montclair State University&#8217;s mascot, Rocky.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Montclair State also offers a variety of programs that fit the quints\u2019 needs. Victoria wants to be a forensic pathologist. Masha will study political science and plans to be a lawyer. Ashley dreams of teaching. Michael will study nutrition and food science. Marcus wants to be an accountant.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMontclair State is the ideal option for us,\u201d Victoria said.<\/p>\n<p>As<a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/presidential-scholars\/\"><strong> Presidential Scholars<\/strong><\/a>, the financial rewards go hand-in-hand with meaningful academic experiences, including access to alumni mentors and internships, spring break community service, lectures and research opportunities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Povolos are exactly the type of students we had in mind when the University began offering this generous financial support to New Jersey\u2019s most ambitious and determined students,\u201d said Jeff Gant, director of Undergraduate Admissions.<\/p>\n<p>Story by Staff Writer<a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/profilepages\/view_profile.php?username=lehrenma\"> Marilyn Joyce Lehren<\/a><\/p>\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\/\/ Output tags as a list for Google Analytics custom dimension\nwindow.MSU_TagList = [];\n<\/script>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NJ quintuplets will start in the fall as Montclair State Presidential Scholars<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":210792,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-210779","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-university"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210779","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=210779"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210779\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":210827,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210779\/revisions\/210827"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/210792"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=210779"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=210779"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=210779"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}