University of Massachusetts-Amherst,
Walter S. Barr Scholarship Class of 2018
Kabir Khurana—Walter S. Barr Scholarship Class of 2018
Kabir graduated with a B. S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2021, where he conducted research for three years. In August, he obtained an EIT certification and is currently working at Toole Design Group as Engineer I.
Yekaterina Levchyk—Walter S. Barr Scholarship Class of 2017
Yekaterina graduated from Bay Path University in 2021, where she studied Occupational Therapy. She is currently preparing to take the national certification examination to become a registered occupational therapist. “Being a wife, mother of two, and a student at the same time was not easy, but with God’s help and support from my family and friends, it was possible and well worth it. Thank you, Horace Smith Fund, for all of your financial assistance as well! I truly appreciate it! God bless you!”
Bay Path University,
Walter S. Barr Scholarship Class of 2017
Providence College,
Walter S. Barr Scholarship Class of 2017
Thomas D. Hendrickson—Walter S. Barr Scholarship Class of 2017
“I’m a lifelong Agawam resident and a graduate of Agawam High School (2017). I graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Providence College Honors Program with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science in 2021. I am currently a full-time graduate student a UMass Amherst School of Public Policy, an intern in Senator Adam Gomez’s office, and a candidate for Agawam City Council.”
Daniel Gosselin—Walter S. Barr Scholarship Class of 2016
“Last year (2020) I graduated from UMass Amherst with a degree in Finance and a minor in Film. I found myself disinterested in Finance and chose to spend the quarantine giving back through a service year with City Year. I served in a systemically under-resourced school in Boston as a student success coach. Although teaching virtually in a pandemic was frustrating and challenging this experience turned out to be one of the most rewarding endeavors of my life and showed me my passion for education and mentorship. It would have been much harder to make this decision to serve if I was burdened with more college debt. I am thankful for the Walter S. Barr Scholarship because it allowed me this freedom to pursue my interests and passions instead of feeling the need to rush into a high paying job to pay off debt. This year I was accepted as a fellow in Venture For America, a nonprofit with a mission to stimulate job growth and economic development through entrepreneurship. Through VFA I will be moving to St. Louis, MO to work at a startup as an operations analyst and help it expand into new territories. I am extremely excited for this opportunity and believe it will give me the skills and experiences needed to start my own business in the future.”
University of Massachusetts-Amherst,
Walter S. Barr Scholarship Class of 2016