Nancy DiGrezio Memorial Scholarship

• Description of Scholarship
• Information about Nancy DiGrezio
• Nancy DiGrezio Scholarship  Application  
• Previous Scholarship Winners 

The Nancy DiGrezio Memorial Scholarship was established in 2007 in memory of former YWCA Board Member Nancy DiGrezio, a long-time local advocate for social justice.  The scholarship is awarded annually  to a high school senior who lives or attends school within the YWCA Greater Newburyport's service area* who is a leader and peacemaker among her or his peers; whose actions exemplify tolerance and understanding of differences; and who, by example, empowers other students to respond to acts of intolerance and discrimination.

The YWCA will accept scholarship applications beginning on the national celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Completed applications must be returned by Monday March 19, 2012. An application screening committee of YWCA Board and community members will select the scholarship recipient. The scholarship will be announced at the Annual Meeting of the YWCA Greater Newburyport in April and will be awarded to the recipient at the year-end senior awards assembly at the recipient’s high school, so that he or she may be recognized in front of his or her peers, teachers and family.

*The YWCA Greater Newburyport serves the thirteen communities of Newburyport, Newbury, West Newbury, Salisbury, Amesbury, Merrimac, Georgetown, Rowley, Ipswich, Seabrook, Hampton, Hampton Falls, and Kensington.

Information about Nancy DiGrezio

Nancy DiGrezio actively lived and loved the mission work of the YWCA. Her tireless efforts on behalf of affordable housing, peace, diversity and tolerance were constant yet gentle reminders of the ongoing need for the YWCA’s mission work and how one person can have tremendous impact on the lives of others in our community. During her tenure with the YWCA Board of Directors, Nancy chaired the organization’s Advocacy Committee and Co-Chaired the 2005 and 2006 Martin Luther King Jr. Annual Breakfasts. In 2005, she advocated on behalf of the creation of the Mayor’s Commission on Tolerance and Diversity, and was a charter appointee to the Commission by Mayor Mary Anne Clancy.

2011 | Alexandra Canning | Newburyport High School

Alexandra created a program at Newburyport High School that brought all of the transfer students together so that they would each know each other and form instant connections at school.  Her work created a welcoming environment for new students.  In addition, she worked with the Holland Project which provides agricultural programs for teens with autism and other disabilities.  “There really are no limits to what one can do once you set your mind towards a goal.  I have been guided towards helping the youth in my community and I plan on continuing that throughout my next four years…”

Previous Scholarship Winners

2010 | Mark Bajko| Newburyport High School
		Mark of Newburyport High School worked with the Junior Clippers, a local chapter of the Special Olympics of Massachusetts since its inception.  He served as a mentor for four years to one student athlete, served as an assistant coach for the program and worked to help organize the chapter.  “The fulfillment comes when you see the kids score their first goal; shoot their first basket, or simply high-five another athlete….Special Olympics is a program that has sincerely changed me for the better.”

2009 | Sarah Murray | Triton Regional High School
		Sarah was a National Honor Society Officer, a Community Service Officer and mentor at Triton High School. She worked on a Habitat for Humanity project and participated in the Breast Cancer 3-Day Walks. To quote Sarah, “In ten years from now I want to be changing people’s lives for the better, impacting people to be knowledgeable and accepting, and I want to leave my community a better place than when I came in.”

2008 | Emily McGranachan | Georgetown Middle High School
		As president of the Civil Rights Team at Georgetown High School, Emily worked hard to teach all forms of tolerance. She introduced "Gay, fine by me" t-shirts, managed a homelessness information campaign, organized dinners at a local senior center, and fundraised for a school in Wunlang, Sudan. She was also a volunteer with Horizons for Homeless Children and a member of Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere.

2007 | Lila Teeters | Pentucket Regional High School
		As a high school member of the YWCA Board of Directors, Lila led the YWCA Teen Racial Justice Group and organized teens on a regional level to address issues of race and intolerance. She also co-chaired the 2007 Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast, co-sponsored by the YWCA and the Newburyport Commission for Diversity and Tolerance.

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13 Market Street, Newburyport, Massachusetts 01950 | Phone: 978-465-9922 | Fax: 978-465-1076