15 New Hampshire, Massachusetts Students Awarded Scholarships

LAWRENCE, MA — The Merrimack Valley Credit Union awarded 15 $1,000 college scholarships June 8 to high school students in both Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

The students were honored in a virtual ceremony June 8. This is the fourth year the credit union has issued the scholarships in an effort to assist students in paying for the cost of college.

According to the credit union, 178 students from 66 different schools applied in 2020. The students were scored on academic performance, school and community involvement, work experience, letters of recommendation and their essays about what they would do if they ran Merrimack Valley Credit Union.

John Howard, the president and CEO of the credit union, called it a difficult year to judge because there were so many impressive applicants.

"The scholarship recipients were selected because of their commitment to education and to their community both in and out of school," he said. "While many had to modify how they demonstrated that commitment in the past few months — through remote learning and finding other ways to help in the community — we are confident that the flexibility and resiliency they have shown these past few months will prove useful not only in college, but also in their careers."

Each winner received $1,000.

• Grace Baker, from Hampton, graduated from Winnacunnet High School and will attend Fairfield University to study nursing.
• Shane Grant, from Walpole, MA, graduated from Walpole High School and will attend Northeastern University to study environmental economics.
• Sydney Gregory, from Andover, MA, graduated from Andover High School and will attend Johns Hopkins University to study chemistry.
• Amy Guggenberger, from North Andover, MA, graduated from North Andover High School and will attend Boston College to study applied psychology and human development.
• Merrimack Valley Credit Union member Anooshey Ikhlas, from Bridgewater, MA, graduated from Bridgewater-Raynham High school and will attend Tufts University to study biopsychology.
• Merrimack Valley Credit Union member Samuel Kierstead, from Plymouth, MA, graduated from Plymouth South High School and will attend Worcester Polytechnic Institute to study mechanical engineering.
• Merrimack Valley Credit Union member Alexander McDougall, from Newburyport, MA, graduated from Newburyport High School and will attend Rochester Institute of Technology to study electrical engineering.
• Jack Mumley, from Boxford, MA, graduated from Masconomet Regional High School and will attend Rochester Institute of Technology to study computer science.
• Kaila Nelson, from Haverhill, MA, graduated from Haverhill High School and will attend the University of Massachusetts at Amherst to study economics.
• Angela Patric, from Newburyport, MA, graduated from Newburyport High School and will attend Clark University to study Psychology.
• Merrimack Valley Credit Union member Kacya Polanco, from Lawrence, MA, graduated from Lawrence High School and will attend the Massachusetts College of Art and Design to study fashion design.
• Patrick Rak, from Quincy, MA, graduated from Quincy High School and will attend Harvard University to study economics and mathematics.
• Jaden Ryan, from Norwood, MA, graduated from Norwood High School and will attend Elon University to study economics.
• Dorothee Surprenant, from Fairhaven, MA, graduated from Fairhaven High School and will attend the College of Charleston for international studies.
• Julia Tardugno, from Methuen, MA, graduated from Methuen High School and will attend Assumption College to study secondary education.

For more information about Merrimack Valley Credit Union, visit the company's website.

Got a news tip? Send it to tony.schinella@patch.com. View videos on Tony Schinella's YouTube channel.