Cheshire High senior wins Kolinsky scholarship

Rayan Vatti, a senior at Cheshire High School, is the 2017 winner of the Bohdan Kolinsky Memorial Sports Journalism Scholarship, given by the Connecticut Sports Writers’ Alliance.

He will enroll this summer at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication on Arizona State University’s Tempe campus in Phoenix.

The stipend of $2,000 awarded him in April raises the total disbursed by the Alliance in the 14 years of the Kolinsky program to more than $61,000.

Vatti, designated an Advanced Placement Scholar by the College Board, received acceptances from three other journalism schools. He writes for Cheshire’s student newspaper and also publishes an illustrated blog on college basketball.

A fullback in soccer, he was chosen last fall for the Southern Connecticut Conference All-Academic team in that sport.

He is the son of Dave and Neeta Vatti of Cheshire.

The Kolinsky Scholarship is awarded through a competition judged by a panel of active journalists and journalism teachers.

Photo: Rayan Vatti, center, is awarded the Bohdan Kolinsky Memorial Scholarship award from Robert Barton, left, chair of the scholarship committee, and Jill Kolinsky, right, Bo's wife.