Newport Chamber Announces Scholarship Winners

From the Newport County Chamber of Commerce:

The Newport County Chamber of Commerce is pleased to offer scholarships to children and or grandchildren of Chamber members and their employees who are graduating from local area high schools. The two scholarships, each in the amount of $500, are awarded on the basis of academic achievement, community involvement, and the quality of letter of request from the applicant.

This year, the Chamber had twelve very strong candidates with a range of qualifications. After careful consideration and overview of the candidates’ credentials two recipients were chosen, Clara Maurer and Lauren Wood, both from Middletown High School. The recipients were awarded their scholarships at the Chamber’s After Hours on Thursday, June 25th at Blenheim-Newport, A Benchmark Senior Living Community.

Clara Maurer is following her dreams and will be studying at Berklee College of Music in the fall. Clara has a passion for songwriting and has been writing and singing her own music at local venues. She has also participated in Allstate Mixed Choir, President of the Middletown High School’s All-Girls Select Ensemble, and is a member of the Rhode Island Songwriters Association. Clara has also volunteered in her community at The Newport Children’s Theater, local soup kitchens, and St. Mary’s Church with the Children’s Choir.

Lauren Wood, a 2015 graduate, will head to the University of Rhode Island in the fall to start the Pharmacy six-year program. While at Middletown High School, Lauren took challenging AP level classes and is second in her graduating class. Lauren was President of the National Honor Society this year and has worked hard with the other officers and members to promote the high expectations for students. Lauren has also spent the last four summers volunteering in the Middletown Safety Town program and was the Coordinator of the program this year. With all of those activities Lauren still found to become a black belt and be part of a demonstration team.

The Chamber would like to congratulate both Clara and Lauren on working incredibly hard throughout their high school career and wish them luck in the next part of their education. The Newport County Chamber of Commerce with their Ambassador Committee is happy to award both of these scholarships.

To be eligible for scholarship consideration next year, applicants must submit a completed application, letter of request, school transcripts and a letter of reference in April of 2016.

The Newport County Chamber of Commerce is the second largest chamber in the state with over 1,100 members representing over 50,000 employees and is one of Rhode Island’s largest business advocacy organizations, formed to enhance the business, civic and economic vitality of Newport County and greater Rhode Island. We help business succeed