The William F. DiPietra Foundation provides grants and other prizes to Media Arts students at Fordham University, Long Island University, and Archbishop Molloy High School. Founder and President, Helen DiPietra, created the foundation to honor her late son William (Bill), a proud Stanner who had a passion for photography and filmmaking.
William F. DiPietra '94 loved his work as a filmmaker, director, and screenwriter. Unfortunately, Bill suffered from a serious illness and passed away in 2017 at the age of 41. To honor his legacy, Helen created several awards at institutions that were part of Bill's life, including LIU, Fordham, and Molloy. These awards recognize talented Media Arts students.
This year, the foundation graciously invited Molloy's Photography Club to participate in their annual online Photo Exhibition once again. Students were challenged to submit their top five original photos representing a theme of their choosing. Molloy submitted the work of 10 students, all of whom are now featured in the exhibition.
In a letter to the winners, Helen shared, "Your photos make ordinary places and things look special, sometimes even magical. I congratulate not just the ten students whose photos will be displayed, but all the club members who participated in this project." The William F. DiPietra Foundation also expressed their sincere thanks to Molloy for helping to continue Bill's legacy.
Congratulations to our top 10 winners:
- First Place ($200): Serena Day '24 (Theme: "Icelandic Nature")
- Second Place ($150): Anthony Romano '23 ("New York City at Night")
- Third Place ($100): Anna Lampman '24 ("Sightseeing in Europe")
- Honorable Mentions ($50 Amazon Gift Cards): Emily Layden '24 ("Life on the Water"), Alexa Lugo '24 ("Sunsets"), Matthew Mena '24 ("Around New York City); Sofia Morales '24 ("Boston), Sophie Morales '26 ("Valhalla-The Heavens"), Valentina Ramirez-Mendez '25 ("A Day at the Met"), Ryota Sato '25 ("Let's Change Our Perspective")
Molloy thanks the William F. DiPietra Foundation for honoring Bill and celebrating the creativity of our students. Pictured right are our winners (not pictured, Anthony Romano) along with a sampling of some of the students' work. Visit the link below to see the full Exhibition!