About the trust
Family, education, and the long view
The Orenski Family Education Trust helps the lineal descendants of Ann H. Orenski pursue their education — and keeps a far-flung family connected in the process.
Ann H. Orenski
The trust is named for Ann H. Orenski (née Konopka). The Orenski family’s story is one of Polish Catholic heritage, and today the family’s roots run largely through the Cleveland, Ohio area, having grown and spread from there.
More about Ann herself — who she was, what she valued, and her own connection to education — will live here.
How the trust began
The Orenski Family Education Trust was established in 2015 by the Zubizarreta family. The Zubizarretas are descendants of Ann through her daughter Dolores Pudelski, and wanted to use the good fortune they have been blessed with to help as many of Ann’s descendants as they could. Education has always been important to the Zubizarretas, and they believe it is one of the surest ways to give someone a real chance at success and sustainability in life.
The trust was established as an independent, discretionary entity with its own governance and funding, and since 2015 it has helped provide an education to several of Ann’s descendants. The Zubizarretas look forward to seeing it support the Orenski family’s educational goals for years to come.
The trustees
The trust is administered by a board of trustees, initially appointed in the trust’s foundational documents; future trustees are appointed as needed by the board. The current trustees are Timothy Zubizarreta, Samantha Zubizarreta, Victoria Zubizarreta-Higgins, and Nicholas Zubizarreta.
The trustees value education deeply and are always happy to discuss the trust. You can reach them through the contact page.
Our mission
The trust carries forward a simple belief: that education changes what is possible for a family, and that no descendant should have to set aside a degree they are ready to earn because of its cost.
It helps Ann’s lineal descendants pursue an undergraduate degree, a graduate degree, or a trade-school program — and, through it, a sustainable career of their own. More than tuition, the trust is about connection: by investing in one another’s education, a large and far-flung family stays tied together across generations, around the shared values of sustainability, achievement, and true connection.
The trust is built to endure. Its trustees preserve its capital with the long view in mind, so it can keep helping the family generation after generation. Support for one term is a gift, not a guarantee — each request is considered on its own.