Nantucket Golf Club Foundation Awards Ten Vocational Scholarships

Photography by David Creed

Ten Nantucket High School seniors took the stage Tuesday evening for the fifth annual Nantucket Golf Club Vocational Scholarship Award Ceremony, and all ten students were informed that they will receive “significant scholarship funds” to the vocational school of their choice.

“It is the best thing ever,” Executive Director Tom Bresette said of the feeling to be able to award each Vocational Scholar candidate with a scholarship. “The board is so supportive and from day one, the scholar program has been incredibly successful for so many years. Both scholar programs are great programs but I think the benefit of the vocational program is that those students are getting right into the work force and there is a very good chance they are going to be on Nantucket.”

The ten scholarship recipients are:

Finnbarr Kelly (California Polytechnic State University, Construction Management).

Emma Davis (Sacred Heart University, Nursing – Labor & Delivery).

Emily Dussault (Merrimack College, Nursing - Pediatrics).

Jacob Santikulanot (Culinary Institute of America, Culinary Science).

Alejandro Chacon (Universal Technical Institute, Automotive Technology).

Shane Hanlon (Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology, Practical Electricity and Construction Management).

Justin Zadroga (Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Marine Engineering).

Zach Wallingford (Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Marine Engineering).

Kimla Francis (Fitchburg State University, nursing – Labor & Delivery).

Maudjeani Pelissier (University of New Haven, Music and Sound Recording).

Bresette said that the club will work with the high school’s financial offices and each student’s families to determine how much each scholarship will be.

“Each student’s financial profile is different and so we will meet with the families,” Bresette said. “What is great is Susan McFarland (NGCF Data Coordinator) connects with the financial ad officer of the kid and gives us the best way to give them the most money that doesn’t affect their scholarship or anything else they got with their financial ad program. They will be able to get a significant amount of money, which is great.”

“Being able to give ten (scholarships) is fabulous. We gave two the first year, three the second year, four the third year, eight the fourth year, and now we are doing ten. The more people we touch, the better. We really want to incentivize students to be looking at these vocational trades and programs and want them to know there is a support system for them.”

Examples of vocational programs include, but are not limited to automotive, plumbing, woodworking, welding, photography, culinary, architecture, nursing, occupational therapy, and physical therapy.

There was a five-member review committee that handled the process leading up to the award ceremony which included Bresette, McFarland, Courtney Foster (Department Leader and School Counselor at NHS), Michael Girvin (Wood Technology Instructor, Vocational Technology Department, Nantucket High School); and Andrew Viselli – Coordinator, Educational Success Program, Nantucket High School).

The Nantucket Golf Club Foundation (NGCF) was founded in 2002 by the Nantucket Golf Club (NGC) Board of Directors: Fred Green, Ed Hajim and Robert Greenhill. The mission of NGCF is to promote the positive development and enrichment of Nantucket children. Through the generous support of the members of Nantucket Golf Club, their guests and others, the Nantucket Golf Club Foundation has raised almost $36 million the last 20 years for the benefit of Nantucket youth.