Danos Family Foundation gives to scholarship named for Nicholls student

Friends and classmates of Hugh John Plaisance initiated the creation of a scholarship, The Hugh John Plaisance Excellence Award, to honor his memory, which compelled the Mary and Al Danos Family Foundation to donate $25,000 to Nicholls State University Foundation to endow the fund.  
Hugh, a Golden Meadow native and resident of Thibodaux, was an English major and an editor for the Nicholls Worth.
“Everything about Hugh was always larger-than-life – his personality, his sense of humor, his heart. And now, it’s his legacy at Nicholls that gets to be larger-than-life, thanks to the unbelievable generosity of the Danos family. We’re forever grateful to Hugh for changing our lives in a way that deserves to be passed on to others, and grateful to the Danos family for making that a reality,” said Keely Diebold.
René David said, “It is our honor to help contribute to this endowment, honoring Hugh. I knew Hugh before he was born and love his family dearly.”
The recipient must be a full-time Nicholls student at a sophomore, junior, senior or graduate level; a member of a student media entity, including the Nicholls Worth, La Pirogue, KNSU Radio or KNSU-TV; and remain a member of the organization during the scholarship year in order to retain the funds.
Recipient(s) will also be required to submit a 400 to 500 word essay regarding why they joined student media, how being a member of student media has impacted their college experience and how they plan to use their student-media experience to advance their career or post-Nicholls plans. 
The university scholarship committee will select the recipients of these scholarships with consultation of Levin Pinho, Whitney France, Keely Diebold and Mike and Rebecca Plaisance and will strictly adhere to the criteria agreed upon by the friends of Hugh John Plaisance and Nicholls State University. 
The scholarship award will be $1,000 per year, with $500 distributed in the fall and spring semesters and $250 annually donated to student media as a whole. This award may be increased as the endowment grows. To learn more about donating to Nicholls, visit nichollsfoundation.org. To apply for scholarships at Nicholls State, visit nicholls.edu/financial-aid/scholarships.