On Tuesday, June 11, Merrimack Valley Credit Union (MVCU) awarded a total of $26,500 in scholarships to 18 graduating seniors from schools throughout southern New Hampshire and Massachusetts. The students were honored with a ceremony and dinner with MVCU’s senior leadership team at the credit union’s corporate office in Lawrence, Mass.
Two of the scholarship awards honor members of the MVCU and former RTN Federal Credit Union community. The Lisa Lewis Goodman Community Spirit Award of $2,500 honors one student who embodies a spirit of generosity, kindness and selflessness by giving back and volunteering in the community. The award is named after MVCU’s long-time collections manager who passed away in 2021.
The James A. Burley Jr. Scholarship was founded in 2007 by the former RTN Federal Credit Union. Burley Jr. was a passionate member of the credit union community who served on RTN’s board of directors for 39 years, spending 33 of those years as board chair. The scholarship honors three graduating seniors with $2,000, $3,000, and $5,000 awards.
Top of page: Several of MVCU’s annual scholarship winners smile with MVCU President & CEO John Howard and Brad Goodman, husband of the late Lisa Lewis Goodman, during the awards ceremony held at the credit union’s corporate office in Lawrence, Mass. Back row (L to R): Brad Goodman, Srilakshmi Venkatesan, Nolan Shinney, John Howard, Dylan DeJesus, Robert Alpert, Finn O'Hara and Alexander Kaneko. Front row (L to R): Emily Packer, Sophia Knowles, Sumana Anand, Sienna Gediman, Ava Trinh and Leah Maar. This photo: The 2024 recipient of the Lisa Lewis Goodman Community Spirit Award is Sienna Gediman, a graduate of Newburyport High School. Gediman will be attending the University of Maryland, College Park in the fall, where she will study environmental science and policy.
The 2024 recipients of the James A. Burley Jr. Scholarship are:
Robert Alpert of Wareham, Mass. Alpert is a graduate of Carver Middle High School and will be attending the Rochester Institute of Technology to study mechanical engineering technology.
Sophia Knowles of Mansfield, Mass. Knowles graduated from Mansfield High School and will study elementary and special education at Bridgewater State University in the fall.
Leah Maar of Concord, Mass. Marr graduated from Concord-Carlisle Regional High School and will be attending Wheaton College to pursue a bachelor’s degree in psychology and neuroscience.
Recipients of the James A. Burley Jr. Scholarship (L to R): Leah Maar, Sophia Knowles, Robert Alpert.
Fourteen more $1,000 scholarships were awarded to:
Sumana Anand of Derry, N.H. Anand is a graduate of Pinkerton Academy and will pursue a degree in politics and public policy at New England College this fall.
Dylan DeJesus of Charlton, Mass. DeJesus is a graduate of Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School and will be attending Virginia Tech to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering.
Kate DeVincent of Attleboro, Mass. DeVincent graduated from Bishop Feehan High School and will attend Providence College to pursue a degree in health sciences on the pre-surgical physician’s assistant track.
Muhammad Imran of Plymouth, Mass. Imran is a graduate of Plymouth South High School and will attend Brown University to study applied mathematic and computer science.
Alexander Kaneko of Shrewsbury, Mass. Kaneko graduated from the Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science and will pursue a degree in mathematics at Brown University this fall.
Imani Laird of Newton Highlands, Mass. Laird is a graduate of Newton South High School and will study political science on the pre-law track at Hampton University this fall.
Akshay Manchanda of Manchester, N.H. Manchanda graduated from Manchester Central High School and will attend Harvard College to pursue a bachelor’s degree in molecular and cellular biology on the pre-dentistry track.
Emma McDonnell of Fall River, Mass. McDonnell is a graduate of B.M.C. Durfee High and will pursue a degree in marketing at the University of South Carolina this fall.
Finn O’Hara of Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass. O’Hara graduated from Manchester Essex High School and will study economics at Amherst College this fall.
Emily Packer of Andover, Mass. Packer is a graduate of Andover High School and will study pharmacy at Northeastern University this fall.
Nolan Shinney of Milton, Mass. Shinney graduated from Milton High School and plans to study history at Fairfield University this fall.
Allishba Syeda of Holliston, Mass. Syeda graduated from Ashland High School and will attend Boston University to study biology with a specialization in neurobiology.
Ava Trinh of Tewksbury, Mass. Trinh is a graduate of Tewksbury Memorial High School and will pursue a bachelor’s degree in nursing at Emmanuel College this fall.
Srilakshmi Venkatesan of Hopkinton, Mass. Venkatesan graduated from Hopkinton High School and will attend Duke University to study neuroscience this fall.
Winners were selected from a pool of close to 600 applicants, who were tasked with answering the essay question, “How would you define success for yourself?"
“This is by far the most applications we’ve had since starting our scholarship program,” said MVCU Marketing Manager Andrea Manseau during the awards ceremony on June 11. “The Scholarship Committee reviewed the applications, read essays and marveled at how involved students are in their schools and communities. We continue to be impressed by the caliber of the students here in the communities we serve.”
To learn more about scholarship opportunities, visit www.mvcu.com/scholarship.