Nine students from the SouthCoast region have received scholarships totaling $45,000 through the James J. Karam Scholarship Fund, which awarded $5,000 to each recipient for academic achievement and community involvement.

 

The scholarships, now in their 14th year, support students attending University of Massachusetts campuses and are renewable for recipients who continue to demonstrate excellence in their studies and civic engagement, according to a community announcement.

 

“For more than a decade, it has been an honor for my family and me to be able to support extraordinary young people who are doing great work across the UMass community," said Karam, a former chairman of the university's board of trustees.

 

The University of Massachusetts Foundation said this year's class includes five first-time recipients and four returning scholarship winners enrolled at UMass Amherst, UMass Boston and UMass Dartmouth.

 

This year's recipients are:

• Adelia Bond, of Fall River, a junior at UMass Dartmouth studying business administration and a graduate of Everett High School.
• Nanda de Souza Meirelles, of Fall River, a freshman at UMass Boston studying communications and a graduate of BMC Durfee High School.
• Kissamy Georges, of New Bedford, a previous Karam Scholarship recipient who is a senior at UMass Dartmouth studying bioengineering and a graduate of Wareham High School.
• Ayla Guillotte, of New Bedford, a junior at UMass Boston studying philosophy, law and ethics and a graduate of Fairhaven High School.
• Jack Librera, of Swansea, a previous scholarship recipient who is a junior at UMass Amherst studying sports management and a graduate of Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School.
• Jackie Sassin, of Acushnet, a previous scholarship recipient who is a senior at UMass Dartmouth studying marketing and a graduate of Dartmouth High School.
• Savanna Silva, of Fall River, a previous scholarship recipient who is a junior at UMass Dartmouth studying nursing and a graduate of Excel High School.
• Olivia Viera, of New Bedford, a senior at UMass Boston studying political science and a graduate of New Bedford High School.
• Lacey Zimmerman, of Fall River, a freshman at UMass Dartmouth studying psychology and a graduate of BMC Durfee High School.

The UMass Foundation said the scholarship reflects Karam's longstanding support of public higher education.

 

“The University of Massachusetts has been a beneficiary of Jim Karam’s leadership for decades, and the Karam family continues to be a model for how our supporters drive impact for our campuses,” UMass Foundation CEO James R. Julian Jr. said.

 

See more at heraldnews.com.