HarborOne Bank awarded 20 college scholarships totaling $100,000 on Tuesday to high school seniors as part of the bank’s ONECommunity Scholarship Program, which recognizes a commitment to academic excellence and community. Each of the 20 outstanding high school seniors from around the region received a $5,000 award.
 
“It is important that we support our most deserving, hard-working and promising students to help them receive a quality education – a crucial step toward a productive and successful future,” said James W. Blake, CEO of HarborOne Bank. “Making sure that higher education is available to students in the communities where we live and work is a high priority for all of us at HarborOne. It is an honor to help these exceptional students.”
 
HarborOne Bank’s 2018 awards are part of a continuing commitment to help our best and brightest students make sure they can afford a college degree in a time of rising tuition costs. The businesses and families of our region require an educated workforce to continue to thrive. HarborOne bank has pledged to award $1 million over a 10-year period to provide hardworking and deserving students college scholarships, the largest single scholarship program by any bank in the state. Over the last 13 years, HarborOne Bank has provided more than $400,000 in scholarships to extraordinary students throughout southeastern Massachusetts.
 
Scholarship recipients were chosen from a highly competitive pool of more than 335 applicants from over 75 communities by a committee of HarborOne Bank volunteers. The awards are based on the applicants’ proven commitment to community and academic excellence. Committee members based their decisions on several factors, including personal essays, academic transcripts, letters of recommendation, awards and recognitions and level of participation in community and school activities. Eligible candidates include all high school seniors whose immediate family has an active account at HarborOne Bank.
 
The scholarship recipients are:
 

• Nivetha Aravindan, Abington High School, Bentley University
• Melissa Barrett, Canton High School, George Washington University
• Shannon Carmichael, Apponequet Regional High School, Boston College
• Sally Chu,  Brockton High School, UMass Amherst
• Andrew Crean, Stoughton High School, Washington and Lee University
• Emma Francis, Bridgewater Raynham Regional High School, Quinnipiac University
• Kayla Galvez, Brockton High School, Boston College
• Alyssa Grzybinski, Cardinal Spellman High School,  College of the Holy Cross
• Evan Gwozdz, Middleborough High School,  MIT
• Elizabeth Herman, West Bridgewater Middle Senior High School, Washington and Lee University
• Sam Hyland, Mansfield High School, Boston College
• Susan Joseph, Taunton High School, Stonehill College
• Olivia Larrivee, Bristol County Agricultural High School,  UMass Amherst
• Carl Marcelin, Brockton High School, UMass Amherst
• Julie Mason, Coyle and Cassidy High School, Wellesley College
• Steven Paul, Plymouth North High School, Colorado School of Mines
• Xadia Rodrigues, Scituate High School, Providence College
• Jai’el Toussain, Stoughton High School, Brown University
• Jude Verdieu,  Boston College High School, Tufts University
• Kasey Zaleski, Blue Hill Regional Technical School, New England College