Comcast awards $1,000 to Springfield student and 19 others around the state

Twenty Vermont high school seniors receive Comcast scholarship awards totalling $29,000. Fair Haven Union High School student Samantha Morse selected to receive $9,000; Central Vt. well represented.



The Comcast Foundation recently awarded 20 Vermont high school seniors scholarships through its annual Leaders and Achievers® Scholarship Program, according to a March 11 news release. The program recognizes students’ leadership skills, academic achievement and commitment to community service.

Comcast, joined by Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives Shap Smith, as well as Jim Porter, director of telecommunications and connectivity at the Public Service Department and Christopher Recchia, commissioner of the Public Service Department, recognized the students at a special event held at the Vermont State House.

The 20 recipients each received $1,000 scholarships. One student, Samantha Morse, a resident of Bomoseen and student at Fair Haven Union High School, was selected to receive an additional $9,000 Comcast Founders Scholarship — instituted in honor of Ralph J. Roberts, Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Comcast Corporation.

In total, Comcast awarded $29,000 worth of scholarships in Vermont this year.

“In Vermont, we believe in preparing our students and making sure they have the qualifications to fill tomorrow’s jobs,” said Gov. Peter Shumlin. “We’re making the investments in our future that will allow us to lead the way for decades to come and we appreciate that Comcast shares our commitment to developing our future leaders and helping them achieve their dreams of higher education.”

The Comcast Leaders and Achievers® Scholarship Program provides one-time $1,000 scholarships to students who strive to achieve their potential, who are catalysts for positive change in their communities, who are involved in their schools, and who serve as role models.

“The philosophy behind the program is to give young people every opportunity to prepare for the future and to engage them in their communities,” the release stated. “The program also demonstrates the importance of giving back, and the value placed on civic involvement by the business community,”

“I volunteer because it is more rewarding to do something for others than it is to do something for myself,” said Jordan Phelps, a resident of Springfield, Vt., who was surprised with a $10,000 Comcast Founders Scholarship last year. “I was never seeking repayment, which is why receiving the Comcast Founders Scholarship was so surprising and exciting. I was thankful to be recognized for my volunteerism and the scholarship allowed me to change my higher education plans and attend my first choice, Endicott College, where I am finishing up my freshman year.”

“This year’s scholarship winners demonstrate an exemplary commitment to leadership in both their classrooms and communities,” said Michael Parker, senior vice president of Comcast’s Western New England Region, which includes Vermont.

Since 2007, Comcast has awarded a total of $178,000 in Leaders & Achievers Scholarships to 133 students in Vermont. Since 2000, Comcast has awarded more than $25 million in scholarships to approximately 25,000 students nationwide.

Comcast Scholarship Winners

10 from Rutland and Windsor County

• Calvin Brooks, a resident of Poultney and student at Poultney High School
• Courtney Currier, a resident of Proctor and student at Proctor Jr/Sr High School
• Claire DiIonno, a resident of Wallingford and student at Mount St. Joseph Academy in Rutland
• Karen Fan, a resident of Windsor and student at Windsor High School
• Alexis Hedding, a resident of Brandon and student at Otter Valley Union High School
• Lydia May, a resident of West Rutland and student at West Rutland School
• Lillianna Moore, a resident of Springfield and student at Springfield High School
• Samantha Morse, a resident of Bomoseen and student at Fair Haven Union High School in Fair Haven
• Cassandra North, a resident of White River Junction and student at Hartford High School
• Haley Usilton, a resident of South Royalton and student at Woodstock Sr. UHSD #4 in Woodstock

10 students from across state

• Kelsey Jacobs, a resident of Braintree and student at Randolph Technical Career Center in Randolph
• Jacob Cunningham, a resident of Richford and student at Richford Junior/Senior High School
• Angela Biron, a resident of East Montpelier and student at U-32 High School in Montpelier
• Riley Forbes, a resident of Bristol and student at Mount Abraham UHSD #28
• Jade Groelinger, a resident of Fairfax and student at Bellows Free Academy
• Emily Lampron, a resident of Arlington and student at Arlington Memorial High School
• Kelsey MacArt, a resident of Fairfax and student at South Burlington High School
• Oliver Sloan, a resident of Richmond and student at Mt. Mansfield Union High School in Jericho
• Kyle Walker, a resident of Colchester and student at Colchester High School
• Ava Wright, a resident of Morrisville and student at Peoples Academy

Lillianna Moore