2 Natick High School Students Chosen For MathWorks Scholarships

NATICK, MA — Two Natick High School seniors have been chosen from among 27 applicants to receive MathWorks scholarships this year.

Each year, the scholarship program awards two $10,000 grants to two high-achieving Natick students planning to study math and science. The winners can be from the high school or private schools in the area.

This year, NHS seniors Timothy Stecko and Nolan Palmer were picked by the MathWorks Scholarship Committee as winners. Palmer plans to attend the Colorado School of Mines to study engineering, and Stecko is heading to the Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

In addition to earning high grades and taking rigorous classes, both students are engaged in math and science extracurricular activities. Palmer has been a mentor at the Natick Soldier Systems Center math and science camp. Stecko is a lead builder on the NHS robotics team, and helped design kiosks at the Natick Community Organic Farm after teaching himself CAD design.

"These students excelled both inside and outside of school despite the challenges presented by the pandemic. The energy and creativity exhibited to pursue their interests and studies during this time is amazing," the scholarship committee said in a memo to the Select Board about Stecko and Palmer and other students who applied.

Natick-based MathWorks funds the scholarship each year. The $10,000 award is broken up over four years: $1,000 in the freshmen year,$2,000 in the sophomore year, $3,000 in the junior year and $4,000 in the senior year.

The MathWorks Scholarship Committee's picks will be reviewed by the Select Board at the meeting slated for Wednesday night.