2012 Scholars

Rachel Copans, Class of 2016
Rachel is from Salem, Massachusetts. She graduated from the Salem Academy Charter School where she was heavily involved in student life. In 2010 she founded Stand Up, Speak Out, On A Mission to End Bullying, a web-based nonprofit aimed at educating children and adults alike about the issue of bullying and it's often everlasting and sometimes fatal effects. Her anti-bullying efforts gained the notice of Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation and she was invited to attend the launch of the foundation at Harvard University with many notable celebrities.

Seaniece Martin, Class of 2016
Seaniece is a first generation college student from Dorchester in the City of Boston. She graduated from the Boston Arts Academy, which is a school for the performing arts. During her high school years, she played many student roles, such as Peer Mentor, Student-Advisor, Youth Empowerment Leader and more. Seaniece also volunteered for community service projects that included work at Origination Cultural Arts Center, a dance studio, and elderly homes. It was at A Child's View Early Learning Center that Seaniece developed an anti-bullying program for preschoolers. The program was based on song, dance, and poetry. Seaniece was honored for her service by NECN TV in a special that was titled, "Future of Black History." At Wheelock, Seaniece plans to double major in Early Childhood Education and Psychology and Human Development.

Carmen Piedad, Class of 2016
Carmen lives in Jamaica Plain, Boston and graduated from Concord-Carlisle High School. At Concord Carlisle, Carmen participated in many extracurricular activities. She was also a freshman advisor where she helped freshman transition into high school. She founded and led the Women's a cappella group at the school. In addition, she was a part of The Boston City Singers Chorus for seven years where she traveled to many different countries and met her closest friends. Carmen was on the Cross Country Ski team and she was a METCO student leader. Although her major is undecided, she's excited and willing to try new things to find her true passion. Carmen is excited about the next four years at Wheelock!

Syndie Pierre, Class of 2016
Syndie moved to Boston from Haiti when she was 10 years old.  She graduated from Dorchester Academy in Boston and is a first generation college student.  At Dorchester Academy she was heavily involved in her school community.  As a part of the Emerging Leaders Club, she worked with other students and the administration to improve the environment of the school and encouraged the student body to have a positive approach toward their education. As a senior, Syndie created a workshop to help other seniors with the application process for college.  She plans to major in Education and Psychology while at Wheelock and has long term aspirations of creating a foundation to help immigrant students pursue higher education and immigrant families pursue better lives in the United States.

2011 Scholars

Emily Jestus, Class of 2015
Emily graduated from Norton High School in Norton, MA. She was a member of six honor societies: National, English, Science, Music, Math, and French. She also acted in musicals for 10 years with Triboro Youth Theatre in Attleboro and volunteered to assist backstage with younger children's shows. Emily, an active Girl Scout, spent the last year constructing a butterfly garden at a local elementary school to enrich the children's learning environment. She has also volunteered at her local library for several years and ran several of her own programs there. This led to her earning the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest achievement in Girl Scouting. Recently, she was the individual points leader for Win With Wheelock, a program encouraging student involvement on campus, for two weeks in a row. She would like to study Special Education and Performing Arts at Wheelock and work to enrich children's schooling experience in high-risk areas.

Click here to read about Emily in the news.

Claire Kawski, Class of 2015
Claire is a graduate of Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School, and she resides on the North Shore of Massachusetts. Since she was very young, Claire has been actively involved with a number of ballet programs, she has gained an appreciation for music through her love of the violin, and she has been an active member in her community, serving both children and their families. She has done a variety of service work, most notably her work at Children's Hospital in Boston. She hopes to graduate from Wheelock College as a child life specialist in order to continue her passion for working with children in medical settings. Her recent involvement on the Wheelock campus includes helping organize events for the College's Service in Action Club and, as a new member of Best Buddies, committing to act as a "College Buddy" for the upcoming year.

Asia Madison, Class of 2015
Asia is a Roxbury native. She graduated from Mount Saint Joseph Academy in Brighton, where she was very active in her school community. Asia was a part of various clubs, including Student Council, Club Council, International Club, and Drama Club. The founder and president of the Step Club, she was also a Student Ambassador. For the past seven years, Asia has volunteered at Jubilee Christian Church in Mattapan as a Sunday school teacher for children ages 4 through 6. She also did volunteer work for City Year Boston, completing more than 100 hours of community service. At Wheelock, Asia plans to double major in Early Childhood Education and Psychology and minor in Women's Studies.

Click here to read about Asia in the news.

Jacqueline Orellana, Class of 2015
Jacqueline is from Chelsea, MA, and is the first in her family to attend college. She graduated from Chelsea High, where she was president of the Drama Club and secretary of the National Honor Society and the Tri-M Music Honor Society as well as a member of the Interact Club. Jacqueline volunteers at her church's soup kitchen and sings every year at the Jewish Nursing Home. For two summers, she worked as an actor instructor for Summer Stage, a program that worked with ELL students. She has been acting and singing for 10 years and has been in more than a dozen musicals and plays. Her proudest role was Tracy Turnblad in "Hairspray." Jacqueline loves performing arts, and her passion is making the arts accessible to everyone. She hopes to graduate from Wheelock with a degree in Communications and Performing Arts so that she can promote the importance of arts education for children.

Melissa Catherine Tineo, Class of 2015
Melissa was born in the U.S., moved with her parents to the Dominican Republic for part of her early childhood, and then moved back to Boston. Despite the challenges she faced due to the language barrier, Melissa strived to be the best that she could be. Beginning in sixth grade, she attended Mother Caroline Academy, a school for girls that taught her the importance of women's empowerment, something she still advocates for today. She continued her education at Mount Saint Joseph Academy, where she served as a leader in Student Government and performed countless hours of community service. Her passion for giving back to her community and her love for people are what brought Melissa to Wheelock, where she is studying Juvenile Justice & Youth Advocacy. She has helped start and is vice president of the College's Service in Action Club and is very committed to the ALANA (Asian-American, Latino, African-American, and Native American) organization.

Read more about Melissa in the Jamaica Plain Gazette and Mission Hill Gazette.

2010 Scholars

Lea Bartolo, Class of 2014
Lea graduated from South Shore Christian Academy, where she was a member of the National Honor Society and participated in outreach to many children and families. Early in high school, as part of a service trip team to Mexico and Belize, she helped to bring medical supplies to health centers, clothing for children and families, and building materials for elementary school rooms. She was a dancer at Paula Coffey Dance Center for 16 years, taking classes in ballet, tap, jazz, and lyrical. Lea has volunteered at summer dance camps and after-school programs, sharing her knowledge of dance, and has worked and counseled teens at a family summer camp in New York state. She is now working toward a bachelor's degree in Human Development and Psychology and a master's degree in Child Life. She also tutors students in Human Growth and Development classes. Lea and the other Passion for Action Scholars hope to become involved in a community service project this year. 

Click here to read about Lea in the news.

Amanda Belair, Class of 2014
Amanda is from Lynn, MA. She graduated from St. Mary's Jr./Sr. High School, which she attended since the seventh grade. At St. Mary's, Amanda played varsity lacrosse her junior and senior years. She also danced for 15 years at Leanne Leslie's School of Theatrical Dance, where she has volunteered as an assistant teacher and helped organize summer dance camp programs. In February 2010, Amanda volunteered at Camp Sunshine, where she worked with toddler-age children, some of whom had terminal illnesses. Amanda is studying Elementary Education and Mathematics and is a student adviser and a math study group leader. Amanda is going to New Orleans, LA, in January 2012 to help rebuild houses destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

Carlos Rodriguez, Class of 2014
Carlos grew up in Roxbury, MA. A graduate of English High School, he has always been heavily involved in his community and has helped out in different ways. He participated in a violence prevention campaign called "B1 Example" and helped organize youth job rallies. He also helped organize and performed in a youth showcase. At Wheelock, Carlos plans to major in Communications with a focus in Media Production. He was not able to participate in his community this past summer because he served as an intern at John Hancock in their Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery Planning department, but this year he hopes to get more involved.

Lyonel Traversiere, Class of 2014
Lyonel was born in Boston and grew up in Mattapan. He is the youngest son of a couple who left their native land of Haiti to search for opportunity and try to create a future in this country. As he watched the struggles and hardships of his parents, he always said to himself that he would give to them, and to anyone else with whom he was fortunate enough to come into contact, the gifts of affection, safety, and motivation. At Wheelock, he is studying Human Growth and Development with a concentration in Psychology, he works in the Student Life Office and the Library, and he serves as a resident assistant and fundraising phone-a-thon caller. Through his studies, hard work, and extracurricular activities, he feels he is one step closer to helping the world around him and showing his parents that their sacrifices were not in vain.

Read more about Lyonel in the Randolph Herald and the Boston Haitian Reporter.

2009 Scholars

Tamera Boggs, Class of 2013
Tamera graduated from Boston Community Leadership Academy and was a member of the National Honor Society. As a member of the Reebok 4 Real Human Rights Student Advocate Program there, she worked with peers to raise awareness around Boston about human rights issues in Zimbabwe. She worked with the same group of students and Reebok employees to teach people about the water shortage in Swaziland and raise money to build a water irrigation system at a school there. Outside of school, Tamera enjoys mentoring and spending time with the younger kids in her neighborhood. As a Wheelock sophomore, she volunteered as an Ubuntu Youth Corps SPARK the Truth mentor, working with high school students to campaign against Boston violence. A Social Work and Juvenile Justice & Youth Advocacy major, she has also worked as a Human Growth and Development tutor. This year, Tamera is also vice president of the Juvenile Justice and Youth Advocacy/SPARK the Truth Club.

Click here to read about Tamera in the news.

Ariel Folkerts, Class of 2013
Ariel, a graduate of Winchester High School, is zealous about community service. She has traveled to six states with Habitat for Humanity, and this past spring she participated in Wheelock's New Orleans service-learning trip. As part of a peer leadership program through the Winchester Youth Center, Ariel volunteered at countless local events and even planned her own, including a group called Pact, where eighth-grade girls gathered to discuss body image, peer pressure, and the transition from middle school to high school. Ariel hopes to start a similar program in the future. Passionate and excited about becoming a role model for and mentor to other young women, she strives to create in them a sense of self-acceptance during times of transition. Ariel is a Humanities major with a Literature focus, and she is also part of the Community-Based Human Services certificate program. She hopes to someday be a college adviser or high school senior guidance counselor.

Click here to read about Ariel in the news.

Rachel Robohm, Class of 2013
Rachel is a graduate of Oliver Ames High School in North Easton, MA. There, she succeeded in being a very active part of her school's student mentor program and athletic department. She has continued being active in school activities during her time at Wheelock as well: Since she was a freshman, she has been a starter on the Wheelock College field hockey team while still maintaining a high GPA. Off the field she has also been a student adviser for the freshman class as well as a math leader. This past summer she took part in a service-learning trip to New Orleans, where she helped with the rebuilding from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Some of the things Rachel is looking forward to this year are her international service-learning trip and her participation in the Policy Fellows Program. She is majoring in Elementary Education and Math/Science.  

Lindsey Snyder, Class of 2013
Lindsey graduated from Mansfield High School, where she was a member of the Music National Honor Society and the Performing Arts Club. Lindsey worked with the Project Teammate program at her school to help special needs children with their classes. Her love of working with children with special needs has prompted her to take her work outside the classroom, where she helped start a business where Project Teammate alumni could go to work after high school. She was also a Girl Scout and took part in multiple community service projects to help feed the hungry over the years, such as community soup kitchens, the Cook for a Cause program, Heifer International, and Hope for the Future.  Lindsey is majoring in Performing Arts and Special Education at Wheelock.

For information about the Wheelock College Passion for Action Scholarship Program or the Passion for Action Leadership Award Dinner, please contact Rebecca Smokowski, Associate Director of Annual Giving, at 617-879-2328 or rsmokowski@wheelock.edu.