Students awarded Home Builders Assoc. scholarships

Date: 6/22/2009

SPRINGFIELD The Home Builders Association of Western Massachusetts (HBA-WM) hosted their annual Scholarship Awards Ceremony on June 11 at the Home Builders Association in Springfield, formally recognizing the achievements of eight Member Scholarship Program recipients, eight Vocational Scholarship/Tool Acquisition Award recipients, and one Vocational Scholarship recipient.

To have been eligible for the $100,000 HBA-WM Member Scholarship Program, the applicant had to be affiliated with a member or the employee of a member company. The association has also awarded area trade and vocational high school students $500 cash scholarships or tool acquisition awards to further their careers in the building industry. The association issued a request to each of the 13 schools in their service area of Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin and Berkshire counties to recommend an exemplary student to receive one of these awards. The association offered vocational school students the option to receive a $1,000 scholarship to the college of their choice. Any vocational student in the 13 area trade schools could apply and compete for this scholarship. Since the inception of these programs, the association has awarded $289,000 to deserving students.

The 17 individuals selected as the 2009 HBA-WM scholarship recipients include: Cody Chapin of Wilbraham, who attended Lower Pioneer Valley Career and Technical Education Center; Steven Costa of Agawam, who will attend Bentley University; Kyle Demers, of Bernardston, who attended Franklin County Technical School; Dominic Garzone of Pittsfield, who attended Taconic High School; Stephanie Gomes of Chicopee, who attends Mount Holyoke College; Julie Horowitz of Longmeadow, who will attend Boston University; Haley Johnson of East Longmeadow, who attends the University of Rhode Island; Andrew Les of Palmer, who will attend New York University; Steffanie Meyer of Chicopee, who attends Clemson University; Matt Ripley of Granville, who attended Westfield Vocational Technical High School; Christopher Roberts of Williamsburg, who attended Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School, who will attend Springfield Technical Community College; Briana Sciard of Westfield, who attends University of Massachusetts Amherst; Bryan Simmons of Brookfield, who attended Tantasqua Regional High School; Melissa Sullivan of Palmer, who attended Pathfinder Regional Vocational High School; Gerald Tessier of Holyoke, who attended William J Dean Technical High School; Ashley Tromblay of Wilbraham, who will attend James Madison University; and Justin Veillette of Chicopee, who attended Chicopee Comprehensive High School-Career and Technical Education Program.

The association applauds the achievements of these individuals and wishes them well in their future endeavors.