August 8, 2025 — PEF Region 7 has awarded its 2025 Paul Normandeau Scholarship to Adrian Mirza and the 2025 Ellen Mainville Scholarship to Lilliana Morin.
The Paul Normandeau Scholarship was created to honor the hard work and memory of the PEF Region 7 member who worked for the New York State Department of Transportation and tragically lost his life to COVID.
Adrian will use the $1,000 scholarship to offset the cost of his education at the Modern Welding School in Schenectady, N.Y. He is an avid volunteer and has used his free time volunteering at the Peru SPAC. He has wanted to be a welder since he was in middle school and values what trade schools can bring to people.
“Trades are an important part of life and skilled workers are an asset to our communities,” said Adrian.
Lidia Mirza, Adrian’s mother, works at Clinton Correctional Facility as a Registered Nurse.
The Ellen Mainville scholarship was created to honor the hard work and memory of Region 7 Member Ellen L. Mainville. She was employed by the Department of Corrections as a teacher at Bare Hill Correctional Facility in Malone, N.Y. Ellen also lost her life to COVID.
Lilliana will use the $1,000 scholarship award to help pay for her education at Erie Community College, where she plans to major in nursing. Her eventual goal is to work at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo as an RN.
Lisa Morin is Lilliana’s mother. She works at OPWDD-Sunmount as a Nurse Practitioner.
Editor’s Note: As we hear of Regional and Divisional scholarships, we post them here. If you have one to post, please contact Communicator@pef.org.