Marblehead Rotary Club Announces Eight Scholarship Recipients

Press release from the Marblehead Rotary Club :

June 15, 2020

The Marblehead Rotary Club congratulates the students who’ve been awarded its 2020 scholarships in the areas of academics, leadership, community service, and extracurricular activities. These scholarships support one of Marblehead Rotary Club’s most important goals: assisting local students pursuing their studies at institutions of higher education.

There are eight outstanding awardees: Chris Barone, Caroline Craig, Hana Feingold, Lydia Hurley, Dylan Leveroni, Madeleine McIlroy, Hayden Miller, Cahill Whittaker.

The Randolph E. and Barbara K. Goodwin Memorial Scholarship.

The Marblehead Rotary Club awarded the four-year Randolph E. and Barbara K. Goodwin Memorial Scholarship to Cahill Whittaker. Despite a personal setback, Whittaker’s positive and self-directed attitude has propelled her to excel in academics and sports. She played on the Marblehead High School (MHS) varsity tennis and basketball team. She graduated as a member of The National Honor Society, Science Honor Society, Rho Kappa Social Studies Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta Math Honor Society, and was a member of the honors jazz band for four years. Whittaker especially shined through her active engagement in volunteer work in the community. She was involved in Ryan’s Run, Paddle for Plummer, My Brother’s table, World Water Day walk and Manna Project among others. She hopes to continue her service work when she enters Boston College to pursue a career in physical therapy.

The Donald H. Humphreys Memorial Scholarship

Caroline Craig is the recipient of the Donald Humphreys Memorial Rotary Scholarship. This annual scholarship is named after Donald Humphreys, a World War II Marine Veteran who was known as “Mr. Marblehead” to our community. An apt recipient of the award, Craig has multiple family members serving in our armed forces, specifically in the US Navy. In spite of a medical condition, Craig has been a model student who has excelled in academics. She has been an active member of Best Buddies, providing support and friendship to students with disabilities. She will attend Providence College to pursue a degree in Public and Community Service as a major and with Business Innovation as minor.

Lydia Hurley is well-known in the Rotary community as a role model and reliable leader. As the 2019 president of the Interact Club and a Rotary Youth Leadership awardee, she was instrumental in coordinating and implementing Rotary projects, such as camp leadership facilitation across our town and the district. She organized community engagement in soup kitchens, beach cleanups, road races, and ocean plunges to raise awareness and fundraise for these worthy causes. She has been a member of the MHS track team and co-captain of the MHS field hockey team. Hurley’s interest in politics brought her to chair the Marblehead High School Democratic Club where she was active in both local and national campaigns. Similarly, she pursued non-fiction writing as a personal passion with a focus on social justice. She plans to enter the University of Maryland this fall to work toward a dual major in Journalism and Politics and Government.

Hana Feingold
An accomplished student with intensive academic and extracurricular merit, Hana Feingold was awarded the Gamage Smith College Book Award for ranking
in the top 10% of her class. She served as president of the National Honor Society and as captain of indoor and outdoor track and field teams. Feingold found her passion for international relations and diplomacy with an internship at Stone and Compass (S&C), a local non-profit organization that fosters student engagement in world service opportunities. A well-rounded leader, she mentored underclassmen in global service-learning, volunteering, and even presenting to the United Nations several times. As an international relations coordinator for S&C, she's built relationships with entities abroad, connecting different partner groups to impact the goal of sustainability among international stakeholders. She plans to pursue a career in International Relations and Environmental Studies at the University of Southern California.

Madeleine Mcllroy is an overall athlete and a consistent honor student. She co-founded the Seniors and Students Club and also volunteered as a tutor. While interning at Stone and Compass, she helped to design and develop service-learning programs and trips to Bulgaria, Dominica, and the Azores. More recently, she mentored interns, and presented at the United Nations on sustainability; and this experience provided her the impetus to pursue International Relations at the University of Virginia with a plan to join the Peace Corps and a career path at the United Nations in the future.

Dylan Leveroni
Not only an accomplished student and athlete, but Dylan Leveroni also typifies the qualities of an emerging leader, exhibiting humility, respect, and kindness. He is a member of the Marblehead Unified Basketball team, and he also played competitively in indoor and outdoor track for four years at MHS and was elected captain during his senior year. He is an active member of his church service youth group, and he continues to work on earning his Eagle Scout rank. Those who know Leveroni best describe him as personable, funny, well-versed with facts, and a natural and charismatic leader. He has been a ski instructor for children with physical and intellectual disabilities. This fall, he will attend Syracuse University to pursue a degree in TV, Radio, and Film.

Christopher Barone
Christopher Barone graduated as a member of the National Honor Society. He won multiple awards for competitive indoor and outdoor track, was a co-leader of the Latin Club and a volunteer counselor for baseball and softball clinics. Barone works in the SPUR Community Roots garden which helps bring nutritious options to local pantries, including the Marblehead Food Pantry. Like generations before him, Barone will pursue a career in architecture with a focus on sustainable urban and community design at the University of Miami.

Hayden Miller
Hayden Miller is the MHS Salutatorian for the class of 2020. He is the recipient of the Dartmouth Book Award - an intellectual leadership award. He is also an artist who taught himself how to play the piano. Miller was captain of both the varsity soccer and tennis teams of MHS. He founded the Young at Heart Club that brings senior citizens and students together to collaborate on art-centered activities. With a well-rounded intellectual curiosity that blends academic ideas through both scientific and artistic lenses, Miller will be heading to Dartmouth College in New Hampshire and majoring in Environmental Science and Mathematics.

This press release was produced by the Marblehead Rotary Club. The views expressed here are the author's own.