Honors Student Carries Moran-Guiati Legacy with Scholarship

Jordan Sims, a television and film arts (TFA) major and fledgling filmmaker, started making films when he was just 9 years old and living in England. By the time he was a sophomore at City Honors in Buffalo, he knew he wanted to study filmmaking in college. But he also knew he would need to finance a college education on his own.

So Sims was excited and honored to receive the Stefano Moran-Guiati Scholarship.

"It is something special when someone you do not know as well as family or a close friend believes in you and wishes to help you out," Sims said.

Funded through private contributions, including gifts made through the annual Faculty and Staff Appeal, the Stefano Moran-Guiati Scholarship Fund provides a $500 scholarship annually to an incoming freshman who has graduated from Buffalo City Honors High School, Stefano’s alma mater.

Due to his excellent grades and extracurricular activities, Sims has also received a President’s Scholarship, the Muriel A. Howard Program Scholarship, and the Kenzie Scholarship.

"These scholarships have meant that I haven't needed to take out any loans to pay for school," Sims said. "I would like to work in Hollywood as a filmmaker someday, and I know you don't make a lot of money unless you sell a blockbuster. So graduating from college without debt is a blessing."

Stefano Moran-Guiati, the son of Andrea Guiati, distinguished teaching professor of modern and classical languages and director of the Muriel A. Howard Honors Program, was a lecturer at Buffalo State when he died tragically in an automobile accident in March of 2007. Guiati and his family turned their loss into a lifeline to future Buffalo State students through the establishment of the Stefano Moran-Guiati Scholarship.

Guiati said he is pleased to see his elder son's dedication to his students continued through the scholarships. And they provide Guiati with the opportunity to meet the recipients.

"They write letters; they stop to thank me in person," he said. "These are good kids. When I see students get the scholarships, I feel like I see my son coming back."

Because Sims is enrolled in the Honors Program, Guiati has him in class, too. "He is a very committed, serious individual and a good student," Guiati said. "I'm happy that he was the recipient this year."

To learn how you can contribute to the 2014 Faculty and Staff Appeal, contact Claire Collier at (716) 878-5206.

Download a full list of schools, funds, and departments designated to receive donations.