The Lynn Housing Authority and Neighborhood Development (LHAND) Annual Scholarship Fund has given close to $445,000 to high school seniors since the Scholarship Program first began in 1998. It started out small but now LHAND is able to give out over 30k each year to over 30 Lynn High School Seniors. LHAND has been committed to serving the needs of the community in different ways and this scholarship is just one of the many efforts to support our youth in the City of Lynn.
“We at LHAND are committed to serving the residents of this city”, said Charles Gaeta, Executive Director of LHAND. “This year, we decided to follow up with some of our recipients to see how they have fared during their first semester and we are pleased to hear about their accomplishments.”
Our scholarship program is our pride and joy. With the help of our generous donors, we are able to award scholarships to graduating high school seniors entering college.
“We are thankful for our generous supporters who continue to participate in our annual outings and assist in the effort to raise funds as well as the LHAND Staff that volunteer to run the tournament year after year,” said Charles Gaeta.
Last spring, we awarded a total of $36,000 to 30 graduating seniors. We were able to get in touch with some of our scholarship recipients and hear all about their exciting college escapades.
Geneliz Herrera
New Englander, Geneliz Herrera, voyaged down south to attend school at Xavier University located in New Orleans, Louisiana. At Xavier University, Geneliz double majors in Political Science and Spanish. With her degree, her goal is to join the Peace Corps. Her mission is to assist with environmental concerns in South America. Specifically, she would like to help South American land owners better manage their land through the adaptation of sustainable agricultural practices that benefit both the environment and the economy.
This young leader is profoundly immersed in Xavier’s campus life. In her first semester of school, Geneliz joined the environmental club and participated in Model Congress where she assumed the role of Speaker of the House.
During her first week of college, Geneliz admits that she was overwhelmed as she worried about making friends and the difficulty of her courses. Now however, she feels “more at peace and better equipped to excel this spring” due to the experience she gained in the fall.
On their first week, most college students are met with dreadful icebreakers and/or yawnful syllabi review. However, Hurricane Ida had other plans for Xavier University students, including Geneliz. In light of Hurricane Ida, Xavier sent her and the remainder of Xavier students to Texas to wait out the storm. It’s safe to say, Geneliz will remember her very first week of college indefinitely.
When she’s not hitting the books, Geneliz likes to watch old films namely Rom Coms and Classics. She also enjoys practicing her French, more impressively she has also began to practice German.
Zion Taylor
Zion Taylor, who received LHAND’s 2021 Scholarship, goes to New England College in New Hampshire. This driven student is majoring in Business and is also contemplating minoring in Health Sciences this coming spring semester.
After college, Zion is interested in opening his own business. Zion shares that his first semester of college has shown him the importance of networking in discovering new educational and career opportunities.
Zion noted that at the inception of his semester he was “really nervous” because he “wasn’t sure what to expect of college.” It was also difficult for him to be away from his family. Now, Zion confirms he has found his way and is enjoying the independence of being a college student.
Outside of class, Zion likes to shoot hoops and he also likes to dabble in making music. If he’s not doing either of those things, he is most likely catching up with his favorite sport teams.
Brooke Warren
This past fall, our scholarship winner Brooke Warren, settled into Emmanuel College! She is majoring in Biology with a concentration in health sciences. Upon completing her bachelor’s degree, Brooke hopes to attend a Physical Assistant Program to become a PA. Her love for science, led her to join Emmanuel’s College biology club.
Brooke explained that attending in person classes her first college semester was an overwhelming transition after being accustomed to online classes for a year. However, Brooke confirms that she now has a solid schedule she follows and has gotten into the groove of being a college student
Brooke’s favorite thing about going to Emmanuel College is that it’s so close to Fenway. So close that when the Red Sox’s have a home game, she can hear the load roars of the crowd from her dorm.
During her free time Brooke enjoys attending a good Red Sox’s game at Fenway or strolling Boston with her friends.
Carlos Prudencio
Carlos Prudencio, one of our 2021 LHAND Scholarship Fund recipients, is making strides at American University in Washington, D.C. Carlos is majoring in International Relations and hopes to one day work in the Human Rights branch of the United Nations.
Carlos admits that while he was excited to begin his first semester of college ever, he couldn’t help but feel a little scared navigating his new environment. However, with a full semester now under his belt, Carlos feels prepared to tackle the next three and a half years at American University.
Our scholarship recipient is loving the city life, describing Washington D.C. as a “great and lively city” with plenty to do. Sometimes after class, Carlos will casually stroll to the library of Congress to study—how awesome is that?
When he’s not in class you can catch Carlos hitting the mats practicing taekwondo. As a lover of this martial art, Carlos decided to join American University’s taekwondo club.
Carlos is well known in the city of Lynn for his social justice efforts, Carlos affirms that American University is equipping him with the right tools to continue these social justice initiatives in Washington D.C.