They are being singled out for their academic achievement and contributions to the Bay State.
Angelina Cavallini, of Springfield, Eric Gregoire, of Ludlow, Ruben Sepulveda, of Holyoke and Jacob Powers, of Montague, clockwise from top left, are scheduled to be honored with state "Who Shine" awards at the Statehouse in Boston Thursday.BOSTON – A formerly homeless high school dropout and an aspiring actress are among the four graduates of state public institutions of higher learning with Pioneer Valley connections to be honored Thursday during a Statehouse ceremony.
They, along with 25 other students statewide, have been singled out for their academic achievements and their contributions to the commonwealth with the “29 Who Shine” awards. This marks the second year the state Board of Higher Education has give out the honor.
The student honorees range in age from 17 to 52. They were selected from among students at each of the state’s 29 public higher educational campuses.
“Each of these outstanding graduates has a remarkable story to tell,” Governor Deval L. Patrick stated in a prepared statement. “Collectively, they remind us of the power of public higher education, not only to change individual lives but to move Massachusetts forward in an increasingly competitive global economy.”
“Each one of these students is a success story in her or his own right and as a group they remind us of the power of public higher education to change lives,” said Massachusetts Education Secretary Paul Reville in a press release.
“Individually and collectively, these students have proven themselves and shown that they will make significant contributions to our state’s future,” said Higher Education Commissioner Richard M. Freeland said in a press release. “They’ve studied hard to prepare for productive careers, but they’ve also made time to engage in the civic life of their communities, and Massachusetts is better off because of these efforts.”
The students will also be honored with donated full-page and half-page advertisements appearing on Thursday in most daily newspapers across the state. The Republican was the first newspaper to donate an advertisement to honor the students.
“As a publisher, I know that most of these students are Massachusetts residents who’ve grown up here and plan to stay here,” said George Arwady, publisher and chief executive officer of The Republican. “Many of these college students are members of my community and I’m delighted to be able to give them the recognition they so richly deserve.”
Twenty-one-year-old Eric A. Gregoire of Ludlow is this year’s Fitchburg State University award winner. He is finishing his term as president of its Student Government Association. In 2010, he was elected by his peers from state universities to be their representative to the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education.
Jacob S. Powers, 23, of Montague, is this year’s Greenfield Community College honoree. He has been on the college’s board of trustees and has consistently made the Dean’s List. Powers is transferring to Amherst College.
Ruben Sepulveda of Holyoke, 36, is Holyoke Community College’s award winner. The formerly homeless high school dropout has worked full time while taking classes through the college’s Adult Learning Center. In January, he transferred to Amherst College, where he is pursuing a degree in psychology.
Angelina Della Cavallini, 30, the president of the Student Government Association at Springfield Technical Community College, is her institution’s honoree. An aspiring actress, she is family science adventure coordinator for the Springfield Science Museum.
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