Students awarded college scholarships from the Realtor Association of Pioneer Valley

Date: 7/20/2009

This year marks the 35th year the Realtor Association of Pioneer Valley (RAPV) has awarded scholarships to area high school graduates about to enter college. This year 22 students were awarded a total of $13,977. The students were honored at a banquet on June 9 at the Log Cabin in Holyoke. Since 1992, 315 students have been awarded $189,177 in scholarships from the RAPV.

Scholarship winners included:

Cassandra Affeldt, the daughter of Patricia and Jeffrey Affeldt of Westfield. She is a graduate of Westfield High School and will be attending Roger Williams University majoring in Communication/Journalism.

Brittani Allen, a graduate of Belchertown High School, who will attend Western New England College majoring in Biology. She is the daughter of Kimberly and Scott Allen of Belchertown.

Samantha Brook, who will be attending Greenfield Community College, majoring in Early Childhood Education. She is the daughter of Debra Winn and Richard Brook of Greenfield. She is a graduate of Greenfield High School.

Michael Crow, son of Jacqueline and Michael Crow of Westfield, who will be attending Champlain College majoring in Business Management. He is a graduate of Westfield High School.

Camryn Falvey, the daughter of Marlene and David Falvey of Wilbraham. She will be attending Fairfield University majoring in Nursing. She is a graduate of Minnechaug Regional High School.

Cara Federici, an East Longmeadow High School graduate who will be majoring in English at Western New England College. She is the daughter of Darlene and Paul Federici of East Longmeadow.

Tyler France, who will be attending Roger Williams University majoring in Marine Biology. He is the son of Diane and Mark France of Palmer. He is a graduate of Palmer High School.

Ian Graney, son of Susan and Michael Graney of Springfield, who is a graduate of the High School of Commerce. He will be attending Springfield Technical Community College (STCC), majoring in Journalism.

Sarah Hart, a graduate of Gateway Regional High School, the daughter of Philip Barry of Russell. She will be attending the University of Vermont in the fall.

Tyler Hildack, son of Christine Libardi and Randolph Hildack of Westfield, who will be attending STCC majoring in Landscape Design & Management. He is a graduate of Westfield High School.

Michael Katzer, who will be attending Springfield College majoring in Health Studies/Physical Therapy. He is a graduate of St. Mary's High School. He is the son of Christine and C. Christhopher Katzer.

Jake Kocot, the son of Shauneen O'Donnoll-Kocot and Peter Kocot of Northampton, a graduate of Northampton High School, who will be attending UMass Dartmouth majoring in Criminal Justice.

Giles LaPlante, a graduate of Granby Jr./Sr. High School, who will be attending STCC majoring in Automotive Repair. He is the son of Judy and David R. LaPlante of Granby.

Katherine Marino, daughter of Joan and Peter Marino of West Springfield, who will be attending Siena College majoring in Business. She is a graduate of West Springfield High School. She is a recipient of the Koula Romanos Memorial Scholarship.

Camille Owens, who will be attending Harvard University majoring in Social Sciences. She is the daughter of Cynthia and Dennis Owens of Amherst. She is a graduate of Amherst Regional High School.

Kevin Pless, son of Linda Taylor and Philip Pless of Shelburne Falls, who is a graduate of the Academy at Charlemont. He will be attending Eckerd College majoring in Psychology.

David Raccis, a graduate of Minnechaug Regional High School, who will be attending Holyoke Community College majoring in Business Administration. He is the son of Michelle and David Raccis of Wilbraham.

Mary Jo Rodriguez, the daughter of Josephine Sears Rodriguez and Daniel Rodriguez of Springfield, a graduate of Cathedral High School, who will be attending St. Michael's College majoring in Music/Theatre. She is also the recipient of the Koula Romanos Memorial Scholarship.

David Ryan, who will be attending UMass Dartmouth majoring in Biology. He is the son of Regina and David Ryan of Brimfield. He is a graduate of Tantasqua Regional High School.

Alison Slate, daughter of Phyllis and Ronald Slate Jr. of Belchertown, who is a graduate of Belchertown High School. She will be attending Wheaton College majoring in Spanish.

Andrew Symancyk, a graduate of Westfield High School, is the son of Dawn Symancyk of Westfield, who will be attending UMass Dartmouth majoring in Political Science.

Sara Tufts, the daughter of Kerry and Timothy Tufts of Longmeadow, is a graduate of Longmeadow High School, who will be attending UMass Amherst majoring in Communication Disorders.