Total Awards Top $60k, Part of Broader Collaboration on Education & Workforce Development.
Holyoke, Massachusetts, June 05, 2020 – Holyoke Mayor Alex B. Morse today announced the winners of two scholarship awards totaling $13,000 from the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center (MGHPCC) to Holyoke Public School students. Now in its seventh year, the MGHPCC merit-based scholarship program has awarded more than $60,000 in grants so far.
“I’m grateful for community partners such as the MGHPCC and its member institutions for their support of the scholarship program, which is just one part of our collaboration around education and workforce training,” said Morse. “Obtaining a post-secondary degree can help lead to higher-paying jobs and communities benefit from having a well-prepared labor force.”
“Part of our mission and commitment to Holyoke is to provide educational and training opportunities to local students,” said John Goodhue, Executive Director of the MGHPCC. “The scholarship program is one way that we can help create economic opportunity for deserving students.”
This year’s scholarship recipients are Christiaan Boria, who will attend UMass Amherst as a political science major, and John Shea, who will major in mechanical engineering at Harvard.
“Christiaan and John are hard-working students who have persevered through the uncertainty of the last few months to keep up with their studies. I have every confidence these two young people will succeed in their college careers and beyond,” said Dr. Stephen Zrike, Superintendent of Holyoke Public Schools. “They have been ably helped by the Holyoke Public School teachers, staff, and guidance department, which has worked tirelessly to help our students navigate the college process during this time of crisis.”
The MGHPCC scholarship program is open to any Holyoke Public School student enrolling at one of the five founding institutions of the MGHPCC: Boston University, Harvard University, Northeastern University, MIT, or UMass. It is open to students in any major and not limited to students of computer science or other scientific disciplines. Recipients are chosen based on an 800-word essay answering the question, “What do you see as the three biggest challenges currently facing Holyoke, and what would you do to address them?”
In addition to sponsoring the scholarship program, the MGHPCC works with the mayor’s office, Holyoke Public Schools, Holyoke Community College, Springfield Technical Community College, and local community service organizations to host internships, robotics competitions, teacher workshops, after-school classes, programming courses, career awareness days and summer camps.
To watch the ceremony via Zoom honoring the students, go to the following link: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=582531385983827
Mayor Announces Winners of MGHPCC Scholarships
(June 5, 2020)
