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Action helps local students pay for college
Action rewards local scholars By GAIL McCARTHY, Staff writer
A Gloucester mother and her son, Lynn and Nathan MacLean, are two of the nine recipients of $1,000 scholarships presented by Action Inc., the local anti-poverty agency.
This is the second year the agency has presented scholarships to help residents increase their education and improve their job qualifications. A total of 32 students applied for the scholarships, which were awarded to students attending school in Massachusetts.
The scholarships are underwritten by the state Department of Housing and Community Development, with Action serving as the conduit to reach students.
Ronna Resnick, Action's director of employment and training, said education is critical in a competitive job market.
"The more knowledge one has, the better shot you have. We're all about education to help people become more self-sufficient through learning more skills, higher education and vocational education so they can get better jobs. Education is the answer, and this helps ease the burden of college indebtedness."
In all, three scholarships were given to students in college, five were awarded to students who will enter college in the fall and one scholarship went to a high school junior.
Action Inc., which serves Cape Ann and Ipswich, selected the winners in consultation with guidance offices. Applicants had to demonstrate financial need, academic achievement, be enrolled at an institution of higher learning and write a personal essay that included their college goals.
The following students will soon make the most of this round of scholarship money:
Lynn MacLean, who has been a teacher's assistant at O'Maley Middle School for 15 years, is taking courses at Salem State College to prepare herself for a teaching career. She decided to go to college after taking Action's computer literacy and job readiness courses six years ago.
Nathan MacLean will attend Curry College in Milton in the fall. He was described as a good student by his teachers. He graduated with the Class of 2001 then enrolled for a fifth year at Gloucester High School to better prepare himself for college.
Danielle Walters, a Gloucester High School junior, enrolled in an intensive program at the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston so she can build an art portfolio to help her earn admission to college art programs.
Roxanne Costello, a Gloucester High School graduate of 1994, now attends Suffolk University to finish a bachelor's degree as a paralegal. She works as a paralegal at the Gloucester Housing Authority. As a teenage mother, she attended school part time while raising her daughter.
She earned an associate's degree from North Shore Community College, after which she worked at a local law firm. She began taking classes at Salem State College to earn a bachelor's degree before transferring to Suffolk where she currently holds a 3.675 grade point average.
"Just because you have a child at a young age, you don't have to drop out of school. It made me more determined to set the example for my children," said Costello.
She also lives up to Action's mission in trying to find ways to give back to the community. She has raised money for non-profit organizations, collected furniture for a needy resident and donates food to the Cape Ann Food Pantry.
"It's really important to give back to the community," said Costello. "There are things that people can do, and the smallest act can make a difference in peoples' lives."
Costello, who married and had another baby, said she can continue with her education because she has the support of a close family.
Amanda Hien Nguyen graduated from Gloucester High School this year after transferring from Lynn English High School. This fall she will attend the Sawyer School of Management at Suffolk University. She is a member of the National Honor Society, DECA (a marketing club) and is a Junior Rotarian.
Giuseppina "Josie" Passalacqua, another recent graduate of Gloucester High School, will attend the College of Health Professions at the University of Massachusetts -- Lowell, as part of the Dr. Patricia A. Goler Fellows program. Passalacqua came to Gloucester with her family from Italy. She wrote for the literary magazine while in high school.
Kevin Teixeira, a graduate of Gloucester High School, will attend Fisher College in Boston to study business. He was a member of DECA and he played football while holding a part-time job.
Both he and his mother, Melissa Teixeira, a clerk at Gloucester District Court, are pursuing a higher education. She recently earned her associate's degree as a paralegal from North Shore Community College. She now attends Lesley University where she studies business management. Both she and her son work together on a casino boat to earn money "that all goes to tuition," she said.
Heidi Waller, who graduated with high honors from Gloucester High School, will attend Gordon College in Wenham this fall to study music, ministry, psychology and the Bible.
While at high school, she was a member of the National Honor Society. She also served as a Junior ROTC captain and played in the band. She is a member of the missions committee at the Lanesville Congregational Church. She will do missionary work in Mississippi this summer.
Estela Thano, a graduate of Ipswich High School Class of 2001, is enrolled at Commonwealth College at the University of Massachusetts -- Amherst. She was named to the dean's list in her first year.
This story ran on page one of the Gloucester Daily Times on 7/22/02 |
