2026 Update
Doron Feller
2016 COTY Scholarship Recipient
If one word defines Doron Feller’s journey since graduating from Stamford High School in 2016, it is “connection.” That theme has shaped his education, career, faith, and family legacy.
After high school, Doron attended UConn Storrs and studied Psychology with a clear purpose. His volunteer work with Friendship Circle inspired a passion for supporting young people on the autism spectrum and led him toward behavioral psychology. Even during college breaks, he stayed involved, applying what he learned in class to strengthen those relationships.
His connection to his Jewish identity also deepened at UConn through Aish, where he served as Vice President, helped organize weekly Shabbat meals, studied with the campus rabbi, and encouraged other students to connect with their heritage and community.
After graduating in 2020, and after a summer landscaping in Stamford, Doron worked as an ABA therapist, helping children with autism—many of them largely nonverbal—build essential life skills while involving their families in the process. He later joined a local IEP outplacement school, supporting students who needed more individualized care than traditional public school settings could provide.
His path then took an unexpected turn. While planning a move to Hartford, Doron saw an opening at NextMinds, aka the Connecticut Invention Convention, a nonprofit that helps young people identify problems and create solutions. He took the leap, discovered that a longtime board member had once been one of his landscaping clients, and found a professional role that felt like a natural fit.
Now, four years later, as Associate Director of Community Partnerships, Doron leads outreach that brings free STEM programming to more than 1,000 students each year in schools, libraries, and community centers across Connecticut. He also helps drive fundraising and builds partnerships with community groups, industry leaders, and government agencies, expanding access to innovation for more than 10,000 young inventors annually.
Doron’s JWV COTY scholarship was also meaningful early in college. It helped cover books and supplies, eased financial pressure, and reinforced the idea that social impact is not only a periodic act of service, but also a meaningful career path.
That lesson has stayed with him, along with his family’s legacy. Doron is the grandson of Melvin Feintuck, a longtime member of JWV Fred Robbins Post #142 until his passing in 1992, whose values he continues to honor, and of Walter Feller, a Jewish World War II veteran and proud member of the Stamford Jewish community.
By returning to Fairfield County this year, Doron has come full circle as a third-generation Stamford High graduate and Stamford resident continuing a family tradition of service, connection, and commitment to community.
2025 Update
Sebastian Bernhard
2023 COTY Scholarship Recipient
Dear JWV Community Scholarship Committee,
I hope this letter finds you well! I am writing to express my gratitude for the Jewish War Veterans Community Service Scholarship that I was honored to receive last year. As my second year at the University of Miami is underway, I wanted to update you on how my academic journey has been so far and the impact that your generous support has had on my education thus far.
Thanks to your scholarship, the financial burden of college has been alleviated, allowing me to better immerse myself in studies and extracurricular activities. This scholarship has allowed me to attend this prestigious university and opened me up to opportunities that I would have never had the chance to do otherwise. I have become involved in various different student organizations. I am a member of Rho Rho Rho, the marine and atmospheric science honor society, which I will be officially inducted in this fall.
Additionally, I am a member of the UM Scuba Club, where I participate in weekly meetings and attend scuba trips. Through the Scuba Club, I was able to gain my Open Water Scuba Certification, allowing me to get my feet wet and open the door for future diving opportunities. After getting certified, I was able to participate in a “citizen science” coral restoration dive, where students did routine maintenance on coral nurseries, and outplanted new coral. This opportunity led to me becoming a lab intern in the Coral Reef & Benthic Ecology Lab, where I hope to do independent research in the future and present a senior thesis. Furthermore, last spring I had the opportunity to participate in a FLOTSUM (undergraduate research cruise) where we spent a day at sea doing fieldwork. I am also on the E-Board of the Aquarium Club, where I use past aquarium expertise in maintaining the club tanks and share my knowledge with others. Through all of these experiences, I have both enriched my college experience and deepened my understanding that I would not have been able to otherwise and will be beneficial as I embark on a further career in marine biology.
I am excited to share that I am currently pursuing a bachelors of science in Marine Biology and Ecology, and I have maintained a 4.0 GPA (President’s Honor Roll) while exploring my passion for coral reef biology. The skills and knowledge I am gaining are invaluable, and I am eager to apply them in my future career. After graduation, I hope to continue my education in a masters or PhD program studying coral.
Thank you once again for your support! It has made a significant difference in my life, and I am committed to making the most of this opportunity. I look forward to continuing my journey and hopefully giving back to others in the future.
Best regards,
Sebastian Bernhard
University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric & Earth Science
B.S.M.A.S in Marine Biology & Ecology
2023 Updates
JoJo Winsor
2010 COTY Scholarship Recipient
After graduating Stamford High, Jyotsna (known as JoJo by most) attended UCONN, where she studied Mechanical Engineering. Her undergraduate career included internships at Sikorsky (two years working on helicopters) and Draper Laboratory (working on a space plane).
After UCONN, JoJo worked for General Dynamics Mission Systems. Her work involved mechanical integration of communications equipment on Humvees and other ground vehicles, and packaging delicate equipment, such as antennas to create bandwidth for responders to communicate in remote areas, military zones, etc. She then became a lead mechanical engineer overseeing a team working on an underwater robot at Bluefin Robotics. Following Bluefin, JoJo joined a startup in Boston called Humatics as a Field Applications Engineer. Now working at Boston Dynamics, JoJo loves her job at this high-tech company with down-to-earth colleagues who are from diverse of perspectives and backgrounds that help figure out things you would not have thought possible.
JoJo said that the COTY scholarship helped her to go to college without student loan debt. She worked hard throughout her college career in various jobs to supplement her scholarship. During the academic year, JoJo worked 20-30 hours/week in admissions, as well as a resident advisor, engineering teacher assistant, and an engineering outreach program teaching engineering concepts to young children.
In addition to working and studying at UCONN, JoJo volunteered. She was a member of UCONN’s community service learning community, which took on very meaningful projects. She also volunteered on Friday nights at a shelter in Willimantic.
Rachel Winsor
2011 COTY Scholarship Recipient
Rachel attended UCONN (like her sister JoJo), where she studied biomedical engineering and also learned how much she loved computer science. She went on to earn her Master’s in biomedical engineering, enrolling in as many computer science classes as she could along the way. After completing her Master’s in the United States, Rachel moved to Spain to study for a year, earning a dual degree that included doing research in Italy. She loved Spain and Italy so much she knew that she would ultimately want to get back to Europe.
After taking a break, Rachel started as a system integration engineer at ASML, a global leader in the semiconductor industry, at its Wilton location. Two years later, she moved to the company’s headquarters in Eindhoven, Netherlands, just before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rachel said that her COTY scholarship allowed her to get a good education and to finish without any student loan debt, which many of her peers are still struggling to pay off. This freedom gave her a head start that has enabled her to be financially independent.
Rachel’s work visa does not allow her to do traditional volunteer work, so she volunteers to bring comedy events and other activities to her colleagues. In her spare time, she connects local dog lovers with rescue dogs.
Dawn Winsor
2013 COTY Scholarship Recipient
Dawn broke rank with her sisters JoJo and Rachel, and attended Elon College in North Carolina. As she said, “Education is different everywhere, and it is also expensive everywhere. While my sisters always paved great paths that I often followed, I was ready to embark on a fully independent experience of my own and was able to choose Elon. I knew I wanted to pursue a field in STEM, but was equally keen on honing my leadership skills and being a connector of ideas and people.” At Elon, Dawn studied computer science, minoring in leadership and business.
Dawn enhanced her college experience with a semester abroad in London and a month of service-learning in South Africa, and through a variety of internships at the law firm of Ackerly & Ward, Nestlé in Stamford, Voyage Control (a startup in London), and Fidelity in North Carolina. She also participated in many activities, including the business fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi and the Isabella Cannon Leadership Fellow Program to learn about different styles, philosophies, and skills in becoming an effective and intentional leader.
After graduation, Dawn moved to Dallas, Texas, to work for Call Box, initially as a software developer and then as a senior product manager. She then took a break from work to “reconnect with herself” and was reminded that philanthropy fills her soul. That time off led Dawn to go on to pursue a goal of aligning her values more with her day job. In October 2021, she began working for Resilia, a for-profit company with a mission to strengthen nonprofits through technology, coaching, and capacity-building support.
Dawn now works remotely from Hoboken, New Jersey, a place she finds environmentally focused and walkable, and she loves the beautiful views of the water and NYC skyline. Even with her rewarding work at Resilia, Dawn can’t volunteer enough. She’s passionate about the environment and works with Hoboken’s Fund for a Better Waterfront to support its mission to improve public access to the waterfront. She also cooks meals for the unhoused at the Hoboken Shelter and participates in environmental clean-ups led by the Hoboken Green Team and Plastic Wave Project, nonprofits that respectively drive sustainability projects in New Jersey and educate about the impacts of plastics on our oceans and coastlines.
