On March 26, Governor Deval Patrick came to UMass Boston to congratulate students who received High Demand Scholarships. These scholarships are awarded to 800 high-achieving Massachusetts students, including 100 from UMass Boston, who want to go into job fields that are in high-demand in the current work force.
The governor commended the students by saying that he wanted to congratulate “every striver, every learner, and every age,” adding, “We honor you for what you are doing here to make your own lives and the lives of our community better.”
There were several keynote speakers present including Matthew Malone, PhD, the Massachusetts Secretary of Education; Richard Freeland, the Higher Education Commissioner; UMass Boston senior Gifty Addae; and UMass Boston junior Nicholas Kraus.
In their speeches, both Patrick and Malone asked students to support the governor’s budget. which includes an increase in funding for higher education, by putting pressure on their representatives.
Malone asked students to “please pick up the phone, and make those phone calls” to various lawmakers.
The governor added, “For every one of you … there are lots and lots of others who are motivated, willing and eager, who are looking for their chance too.”
One of the two students who spoke was Senior Gifty Addae, who said that the scholarship “will pay itself in one-hundredth fold.”
The other student speaker was Nicholas Kraus, an exercise and health sciences major who wants to become a nurse. In an email, Kraus commented on the importance of receiving a High Demand Scholarship by saying that “without them we would be unable to chase down our dreams and become more productive members of society.”
Kraus wrote, “It’s often a struggle to stay afloat financially, and scholarships like these enable me to remain in school and fulfill my dream of pursuing a long and meaningful career in healthcare.”
