For 59 local students, the recent Eleanor A. Dunn Memorial Scholarship Breakfast, held at the Jewish Community Center, was a special event.
In all, about 100 guests were on hand to honor the recipients of $52,000 worth of college scholarships awarded by the Springfield Council of Jewish Women Scholarship Funds of the Jewish Endowment Foundation (a division of the Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts).
Scholarships ranged in amount from $750 to $1,500. During the event, each recipient got up to introduce him- or herself and talk about their immediate plans for the future.
Co-chairwoman of the scholarship committee, Ann Cowen, said the amount awarded was the largest in many years. “Among our scholarship recipients are many … with GPAs higher than 4.0, members of the National Honor Society, scholar-athletes, writers, artists … students doing outstanding internships, and many who have worked long hours … to fund their educations.”
This scholarship program is different from others in two unique ways: the applicants are interviewed individually, a process that allows them to be more than a summary on paper; and scholarships are renewable for up to four years.
Awards were made to 29 new students and 30 existing recipients.
One new student was Ajeya Clouden, 17, a recent graduate of the Renaissance School in Springfield. She’ll attend the University of Massachusetts at Amherst where she plans to pursue political science and business administration. “I want to help people in our community with what they’re going through now,” she said. For her, the scholarship is a stepping stone to her education. She particularly appreciated the interview, which allowed for a more personal connection.
Her mother, Dena Cooper, said Ajeya is her first child to go to college. “I’m beyond proud of her,” she said. “She has held down three jobs while taking all honors and advanced placement courses. And she’s already taken three college level classes and gotten straight A’s in all of them.”
One of the returning recipients was Kate Bergeron, 20, of West Springfield. A rising junior at UMass Amherst, this is her third scholarship from the Jewish Endowment Foundation.
“Getting this scholarship has been three times as impactful as other scholarships for me,” said Bergeron, a business management major. “I’m one of 11 children in my family and I need to pay my way through school. This is the only scholarship I found that is recurring.”
According to co-chair Nedra Mirkin, there are 22 members of the committee that interview the applicants. “This year, members also visited local schools to publicize the scholarships,” she explained. A subset of about 10 committee members then selected the students to receive scholarships and forwarded their names to the Jewish Foundation Board for final approval.
The scholarship fund began in 1943 with a single $200 payment for a Springfield student to attend Smith College. Since then, more than $2 million has been awarded.
The scholarships are dependent on several donors, including three separate scholarship endowments supported by the Webber Family whose funds represented the largest number of awards this year. Sisters Jane Shernow and Meg Steinberg said their mother, Ruth Webber, was chair of the scholarship committee for many years. “It’s exciting to see these students,” Steinberg said. “They are well-spoken and highly ambitious.” Shernow agreed. “It’s wonderful that we can be a part of it.”
Anyone wishing to volunteer, make a donation, or create a scholarship fund should contact Michelle Lancto, donor relations and operations manager at the Jewish Endowment Foundation, at mlancto@jewishwesternmass.org or at 413-732-9994.
According to the Jewish Endowment Foundation website, jefwesternmass.org, SCJW awards are available to all qualified students regardless of race, religion and gender. Applicants must be residents of Springfield, East Longmeadow, Longmeadow, Wilbraham, Hampden, Agawam, West Springfield, Chicopee or Ludlow. Scholarship recipients are chosen based on a combination of academic performance, financial need, and community involvement. Applications for the 2018-2019 academic year will be available in January.
The 2017 recipients are:
New (Total $26,300)
- Markina Ako-Brew, of Springfield
- Tanner Allen, of Longmeadow
- Anishka Ayton, of Springfield
- Corey Bryant, of Springfield
- Tien Bui, of Springfield
- Alesia Burnett, of Agawam
- Joseph Burzdak, of Hampden
- Ajeya Clouden, of Springfield
- Taylor Colkos, of Wilbraham
- Nicole Cotto, of Springfield
- Ryan Deady, of Chicopee
- Xavier Farrell, of Springfield
- Gabrielle Favreau, of Springfield
- Julia Guilbert, of Springfield
- Olivia Hatten, of Springfield
- Alexandra Jellinger, of Longmeadow
- Matthew Jones, of Springfield
- Gabriel Katz, of Longmeadow
- Taylor Mickens, of Springfield
- Anderson Nguyen, of Springfield
- Tuan Nguyen, of Chicopee
- Suraji Omoru, of Springfield
- Raheema Reid, of Springfield
- Gabriella Rodriguez, of Springfield
- Max Rubin, of Longmeadow
- Adriana Sanchez, of Springfield
- Oriana Siphanoum, of Springfield
- Abel Togba, of Springfield
- Brendan Truong, of Springfield
- Kyasia Williams, of Springfield
Renewals (Total $25,750):
- Yaslin Alicea-Hidrovo, of Springfield
- Augustina Amoako, of Springfield
- Andrea Arnold, of Springfield
- Rebecca Baranovski, of Springfield
- Richia Barklow, of Springfield
- Kate Bergeron, of West Springfield
- A’Kala Chaires, of Springfield
- Marielee Colon, of Springfield
- Bianca Cotton, of Springfield
- Avery Dunn, of East Longmeadow
- Nicholas Garrity, of Ludlow
- Delena Gasque, of Springfield
- Danielle George, of Springfield
- Patrick Jackson, of Springfield
- Qualazale Jones, of Springfield
- Mallory Judson, of Longmeadow
- Chaya Kosofsky, of Longmeadow
- Nana Le, of Springfield
- Allison McCarthy, of Springfield
- Jacob Milanczuk, of East Longmeadow
- Julianna Monts, of Springfield
- Kathleen Morris, of Springfield
- Michael Savoie, of Springfield
- Isabella Sears, of East Longmeadow
- Ali Taqi, of Springfield
- Brian Tran, of Springfield
- Danielle Tucker, of Chicopee
- Krystal Vazquez, of Springfield
- Jus’tis Woods, of Springfield