The McCandless Democratic Committee awarded scholarships to the following students planning to further their education in the fall. Scholarships recognize students who have excelled academically, are engaged in the community, and exemplify the values that we as Democrats hold dear.
Mackenzie Volpe is a graduating senior at North Allegheny Senior High School. She will be attending The Ohio State in the fall, studying chemistry on a pre-medicine track. She will be in the Morrill Scholars Program and she will be living in the Pre-Health Living Learning Community. Mackenzie has attended North Allegheny since kindergarten, and has participated in numerous activities. Most notably, she has participated in Social Justice Club, Key Club, National Honors Society, National Science Honors Society, Varsity Cheerleading, and NA For Change. Mackenzie has also hosted two women's rights rallies and participated in two political campaigns. Mackenzie is extremely grateful for the McCandless Democrats, and she is excited to be able to implement social justice principles into her healthcare career.
Collin Wang will attend the University of Pennsylvania in the fall, where he currently hopes to major in Economics and minor in Statistics and Data Science. He's also interested in public policy and politics, specifically fascinated by elections and voting. During high school, he served as an operations and policy intern at New Voters (NV) and worked on multiple initiatives aiming to boost youth voter turnout in his community and beyond. Additionally, he completed several research projects as a Research Assistant at NV, including co-authoring a paper on youth political polarization and designing a case study on Pennsylvania high school voting resources. In addition, he has worked as a Student Poll Worker in the past four elections. At school, he was the President of Speech & Debate, an officer for NA DECA and PA DECA, and Team Captain of the Boys Golf Team. Collin thanks the McCandless Democratic Committee for their generosity and is truly humbled to be selected as a scholarship recipient.
Ava DiGiacomo will attend American University to study Journalism and Political Science in the honors college. During high school, she worked as a leader of the social justice grassroots organization NA For Change. Writing for her school newspaper and working on election campaigns has sparked her passion for political journalism. She looks forward to being in the heart of national politics in Washington DC. She is very thankful to the McCandless Democratic Committee for this opportunity.
The Scholarship Committee
Peggy Amatangelo, Chairperson
Jennifer Rapach
Rita Martin
Deb Sagan
Madi Eschenbach will attend the University of Akron to study Political Science and Psychology at William’s Honors College.
Sierra O'Neil is starting at the University of Pittsburgh this fall and will be studying Digital Narrative and Interactive Design.
Benjamin Quint will study Global Development at Cornell University in the fall, following a full-time research fellowship with the USDA.
Quinn Volpe is headed to American University in the fall to study audio production and journalism.
Coleman Walsh is a North Allegheny student graduating in the class of 2022, after which he will study Cognitive Science at the University of Delaware.
Claire Majerac - Honorarium Claire will be a freshman at Case Western reserve university in the fall.
Campbell Schweninger received a $1,000.00 (One Thousand Dollar) Scholarship and she will be attending the University of Pittsburgh in the fall.
Ashna Patel received a $1,000.00 (One Thousand Dollar) Scholarship and she has chosen the University of Pennsylvania for her future matriculation.
Kendel Barber - We are pleased to announce that Kendel Barber is the recipient of the 2020 McCandless Democratic Committee Scholarship. -
Vincent Raitt - will be going to college, he will be studying economics and political science.
Nina Ruffolo will attend NYU Shanghai in the fall to study International Relations.
Roshie Xing will be attending the University of Pennsylvania in the fall to study Mathematical Economics.
Kacey Yip will be attending Washington University in St. Louis to pursue her interest in Psychological and Brain Sciences with a minor in Speech and Hearing as a pre-physical therapy student.
We are pleased to announce the two recipients of the 2018 McCandless Democratic Committee Scholarship, Jordan Farrell and Matt Como. The two will receive their awards at a Scholarship Presentation at McCandless Town Hall on Wednesday, June 6.
Jordan will be attending The Catholic University of America located in Washington DC in the fall to study political science. Her essay discussed the importance of dialogue between differing political opinions in the US, and explored the value of youth involvement in our politics. Jordan is currently working with Congressman Conor Lamb’s Congressional Campaign, and has volunteered with several other organizations, including The First Tee of Pittsburgh, UPMC Passavant Hospital, and Soles4Souls. This past year, Jordan was the captain of the North Allegheny Girls Golf team, who went on to be Pennsylvania State Champions. She will be continuing her golf career in college next year. Jordan is the daughter of Richard and Kathleen Farrell.
Matt Como will be attending Penn State University in the fall to study engineering. His essay was about the importance of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program, and why it is a valuable opportunity for qualified immigrants to benefit from educational opportunities and contribute to our economy. At North Allegheny, Matt is a member of the National Honor Society (NHS) and has been playing football for NA since 6th grade. He is a committed volunteer who has done community service work with the North Hills Community Outreach, Animal Friends, and the Woodlands Foundation. Matt is the son of John and Anita Como of McCandless.
We are pleased to announce that Julia C. M. Maruca is the recipient of the 2017 McCandless Democratic Committee Scholarship. She is an aspiring journalist who will be attending Boston University Kilachand Honors College in the fall. Her essay deals with the importance of speaking on environmental issues and climate change, what we stand to lose from pollution and environmental damage, and the cooperation and teamwork it will take to make a difference. As a writer, she hopes to use her skills to spread awareness and facts about climate change. This year Julia is the Co-Editor in Chief of the North Allegheny North Star Magazine. She is looking forward to improving and building upon her strengths as a writer and environmental advocate. Julia is a committed volunteer with the NASH Key Club, the National Honors Society, the Marshall Elementary School Newspaper Club, and the Carnegie Library Hill District Reading Buddies program. She is also a musician in the North Allegheny Tiger Marching Band, Honors Wind Ensemble, and Jazz Bands. Julia is the daughter of William H. Maruca and Susan M. Morris of McCandless.
Betty Coyne
Eileen Paley
Jack Goodrich
Jennifer Rapach
Joy Woodruff
Joyceann Ditka
Mike and Mimi Pasternak
Nancy Cooper
Nora & Arnie Peace
Peggy and Vince Amatangelo
Reverend Don Green
William Caye
Alicia McGinnis
Allyson M. Minton
Bill Tjader
Carolyn Gibbs
Danny Thomas, Jr.
Deb Eisenberg & Ray Linsenmayer
Diane Cebulski
Eileen Paley
Elect Emily 4 PA
Elizabeth R. Coyne
Friends of Chelsa Wagner
Gina Valeriano
Glenn & Ramona Nelson
Irene Caliendo
Joseph L. Farrell
Kim Zachary
Linda K. Myers
Marcia Caliendo and Paul Heckman
Mary Ann Love
Nancy & Charlie Deible
Paul Heckman
Pavara Ranatunga
Rita Martin
Roger Jackson
Sabrina Korbel
Sailesh Kapadia
Sandra Kretz
Sharon Volpe
Shirley Novak
Steven B. Larchuk
Thomas F. Allen
Trish Cloonan
Valerie Mullen
Copyright © 2018 McCandless Democratic Committee - All Rights Reserved.