Matthew Chew was a young man with a strong desire to pursue a higher education in the arts when his life was tragically cut short through a random act of violence.

Matthew had used music and art as an outlet for coping with a bipolar disorder and ADHD, and developed strong connections to the local art and music community.

His friend, Amanda Bachand, described him as “an asset to the community – not in the way of politics or community service, not in the way of fame or fortune – but in the way that he was the kind of person you wanted around, the kind you want to know, the kind who would make your life better just by knowing that such great, genuine people exist.”

She credited him with an affinity for meeting new people and making people laugh; and noted, “Matt always talked about returning to school to pursue a degree in the arts, but hadn’t yet, due to constraints of time and money.”

To honor his passion for the arts, as well as his love for life, his friends and family established the Matthew Chew Memorial Scholarship Fund.

The fund provides scholarships in perpetuity to help Eastern Connecticut students go to college to pursue an art degree – preferably in painting, drawing or music performance.