Danielle McCartan

Danielle McCartan of Dumont, NJ is majoring in Liberal Studies in the School of American and International Studies. To say she is immersed in Italian is an understatement. Among her achievements are representing Ramapo College at the National Italian American Foundation’s convention inWashington, DC, planning and organizing the Italian-American Club’s annual trip to the Metropolitan Opera, helping to organize the club’s Ristorante on the Piazza fund raising event and organizing speakers for club events. In addition, Danielle studied abroad in Urbino, Italy and developed an independent study in which she observes Italian classes at local area high schools each week. Danielle, who has a 3.79 grade point average, hopes to further enhance the field of Italian language education and to become an Italian teacher.

Awarded Scholarships

2010

Kraus, Becky and Frank Scholarship

Long-time Mahwah residents and Ramapo supporters Rebecca and Frank Kraus created this endowed scholarship in 1988. The purpose of the Kraus Scholarship is to recognize an upperclassman who is a campus leader. “We were both very much in favor of Ramapo becoming a part of the Mahwah community,” said Frank Kraus, who served as mayor of Mahwah in the 1980s. “The College has been great for Mahwah.”

Born in Czechoslovakia, Frank Kraus served in World War I as a lieutenant in the Republic Army. He then moved to Mulhouse, France where he earned a degree in Textile Engineering with the expectation of taking over his father’s textile business. While Frank was on a business trip to the United States, Hitler invaded Poland and Frank lost everything. In the U.S., Frank pursued a successful business career and was a tireless leader in the community until his death in 2003. He was president of the Mahwah Board of Health, a trustee of Valley Hospital for 12 years and member of the Board of Directors of the West Bergen Mental Health Center.

At Ramapo, Mr. Kraus served on the board of the Friends of Ramapo and received the Distinguished Citizens Award in 1995. Mrs. Kraus, a native of Raleigh, NC, was a professional artist and worked for Conde Nast and Vogue magazine and later devoted her talents to writing and illustrating children’s books. She was active with many non-profit organizations, including Ramapo College, where she served as a member of the Friends Board and as a major supporter of the Spiritual Center. She was active at the College for nearly 40 years until she passed away in 2015.