Central Scholarship Bureau

The Kassap Family Scholarship Fund for Teachers

The Kassap Family Scholarship Fund for Teachers was established in 2006 at CSB by Mr. Sigmund Kassap.

Sigmund Kassap, a.k.a. “Captain John,” was born in 1929 on the lower east side of Manhattan.  He left home in 1944 at the age of 15 and lied about his age in order to join the Merchant Marines. It was here, in 1948, that he met someone who would become his mentor and lifelong friend, Leo V. Berger. 

With Leo’s mentoring and Sigmund’s innate ability, he rose to the rank of Captain in 1956 and was master of several merchant vessels until he retired from the Merchant Marine in 1960 and settled in Baltimore.  He remained close friends with Leo Berger who went on to establish his own fleet of shipping vessels.  At Leo’s death, John was named trustee of the Leo V. Berger Fund.

A staunch advocate of education, Captain John established the Leo V. Berger Scholarship Fund at CSB and works tirelessly on behalf of the organization.

Four Kassap Family Scholarships of up to $5,000 each will be awarded in the 2008-2009 academic year. Actual award amounts will be decided by the selection committee. Applicants must be pursuing a graduate program in teaching and take a minimum of six credits a semester.  Preference will be given to applicants planning to teach in the public school system in Maryland. The scholarship recipients will be selected based on academic achievement and financial need.

Application Process: Supporting Documents must be submitted by no later than May 31, 2008 and any postmarked after this deadline will not be considered.  Incomplete application packages will not be considered. Early application is encouraged.

Finalists will be contacted by email and may be required to come to an interview with the Scholarship Committee or a member of the CSB staff. 

These are competitive scholarships; not all applicants will be selected as recipients.  All decisions of Central Scholarship Bureau and the Scholarship Committees are final.