LOWELL, MA – To help defray the costs of higher education for local college students, Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union awarded $17,000 in college scholarships to its members through its MoneyStrong College Scholarship Program and Employee Scholarship Program. The recipients are comprised of both soon-to-be and current college students.
The winners of the 19th annual MoneyStrong College Scholarship Program were asked to write an essay in response to the following prompt: “Living a financially strong life may mean different things to different people. Explain what being financially well means to you, and how Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union helps you and other members achieve financial wellness”. The Credit Union granted funds to 22 students. Of the winners, 19 are high school seniors gearing up for their freshman year of college and three are currently attending various colleges in the area.
Through the Employee Scholarship Program, Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union employees, as well as an employee’s child or grandchild, are eligible to receive a $500 or $1,000 scholarship. There are four different scholarships available, three of which were instituted to memorialize former Jeanne D’Arc employees and board members, and one commemorates the Credit Union’s commitment to supporting local non-profit organizations. The Credit Union awarded a total of $4,500 through the Employee Program.
All recipients were recognized on May 28th at a reception at Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union’s corporate headquarters. Students and their supportive friends and family, as well as several Jeanne D’Arc staff members, attended the ceremony.
“We are happy and honored to not only assist local students in achieving their educational goals, but to also help ease the burden of college costs, even in just a small way,” said Mark S. Cochran, President and Chief Executive Officer of Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union.
The MoneyStrong scholarship winners include: Jacqueline Beausoleil from Dracut High School, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Science; Alyssa Bigos, University of New England; Brooke Boermeester from Dracut High School, Siena College; Samantha Chum from Lowell High School, Rivier University; Zachary Day from Greater Lowell Technical High School, UMass Lowell; Jessica Debruin from Tyngsboro High School, UMass Lowell; Sean Michael Doughty from Lowell High School, Emmanuel College; Elizabeth Gacek from Dracut High School, UMass Lowell; Samantha Gaigals from Methuen High School, UMass Lowell; Calley Goulet from Nashua High School South, College of Charleston; Grace Higgins from Tewksbury Memorial High School, Worcester State University; Emily Jussaume from Lowell Catholic High School, University of New England; Alyssa Karlson from Dracut High School, University of New Hampshire; Christopher Kelly from Pelham High School, Middle Georgia State University; Ellen McKenna, Saint Michael’s College; Yesenia Mendoza from Nashua High School South, Rivier University; Emma Moynihan from Dracut High School, University of Albany; Corey O’Neill, Babson College; Haley Peaslee from Alvirne High School, Wagner College; Evan Powers from Dracut High School, UMass Lowell; Megan Tyler from Dracut High School, University of New Hampshire; and Chanda Wallace from Greater Lowell Technical High School, Salem State University.
Recipients of the Employee Scholarships include: Hailey Fitch, Worcester State University; Nathaniel Geary, Southern New Hampshire University; Emma Gosselin, Worcester State University; Hannah Gosselin, Rochester Institute of Technology; Maria Marques, UMass Lowell; and Arielle Pineda, UMass Amherst.
Photo: Excited Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union MoneyStrong and Employee College Scholarship winners gathered with Mark S. Cochran, President and Chief Executive Officer, at an awards reception on May 28, 2019. (Back row, left to right) Corey O’Neill, Brooke Boermeester, Emma Moynihan, Ellen McKenna, Zachary Day, Nathaniel Geary, Arielle Pineda, Megan Tyler, Grace Higgins, (middle row, left to right) Mark S. Cochran, Elizabeth Gacek, Hailey Fitch, Calley Goulet, Christopher Kelly, Emma Gosselin, Hannah Gosselin, Haley Peaslee, Alyssa Bigos, Evan Powers, (front row, left to right) Maria Marques, Yesenia Mendoza, Jacqueline Beausoleil and Emily Jussaume
About Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union:
Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union was established in 1912 and is a full-service, member-owned community-based financial cooperative with more than 85,000 members and $1.4 billion in assets. It operates eight full-service branches in Lowell, Dracut (2), Tyngsboro, Chelmsford, Methuen and Westford, Massachusetts and Nashua, New Hampshire; high-school branches at Lowell High, Dracut High and Nashua High School South; a loan center in Lowell; and a mortgage center in Chelmsford.