To help defray the costs of higher education for local college students, Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union awarded $17,000 in college scholarships to members through its MoneyStrong College Scholarship and Employee Scholarship Programs. The recipients are comprised of both soon-to-be and current college students. The winners of the 20th annual MoneyStrong College Scholarship Program were asked to write an essay in response to the following prompt: “Credit is borrowed money that you can use to purchase goods and services when you need them. In your essay, explain why credit is important, and how a good credit score can help you achieve your goals.” The Credit Union granted funds to 21 students. Of the winners, 17 are high school seniors gearing up for their freshman year of college, and 4 are currently attending various colleges in the area. Through the Employee Scholarship Program, Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union employees, as well as an employee’s child or grandchild, are eligible to receive a $500 or $1,000 scholarship. There are six different scholarships available, three of which were instituted to memorialize former Jeanne D’Arc employees and board members, and three were awarded commemorating the Credit Union’s commitment to supporting local non-profit organizations. The Credit Union awarded a total of $4,500 through the Employee Program. Recipients are typically honored at an on-site ceremony at Jeanne D’Arc’s headquarters, but given the current restrictions, all recipients were notified and mailed their scholarship awards. They will also be featured on Jeanne D’Arc’s social media accounts. “Of course, we wish we could celebrate the accomplishments with our award recipients, but regardless, we are happy to be able to continue our commitment to education and help ease the burden of college costs in any way we can,” said Mark S. Cochran, President and Chief Executive Officer of Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union. The MoneyStrong scholarship winners include: John Sousa from Alvirine High School, American University; Abigail Angwin from Chelmsford High School, University of Colorado Boulder; Christian Soriano from Dracut High School, United States Naval Academy; Jakob Levasseur from Dracut High School, University of Massachusetts Lowell; Jennifer McIntosh from Dracut High School, University of Rochester; Sean McMeniman from Dracut High School, University of Massachusetts Amherst; Jessica Lawler from Greater Lowell Technical High School, University of Massachusetts Lowell; Kevin Carney from Groton School, Bucknell University; Caleb Hong from Lexington Christian Academy. United States Naval Academy; Patrick McKenna from Lowell Catholic High School, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Tyler Eld from Lowell Catholic High School, Suffolk University; Ava Carolan from Lowell High School, University of New Hampshire; Elsa Keefe from Lowell High School, Elon University; George Gikas from Lowell High School, University of Massachusetts Lowell; James Downes from Pelham High School, University of Massachusetts Lowell; Manav Thakkar from Wilmington High School, University of Massachusetts Amherst; Mansi Thakkar from Wilmington High School, University of Massachusetts Lowell; Ellen McKenna Saint Michael's College; Carlos Bejar-Garcia, Harvard College; Hallie Moussea, Unity College; Camryn Santiago, Rivier University. Recipients of the Employee Scholarships include: Paige Dame, Seton Hall University; Kirsten DiCicco, Castleton University; Samantha Fagundes, University of Massachusetts Lowell; Hailey Fitch, Worcester State University; Hannah Gosselin, Rochester Institute of Technology; Brenna Lorenzen, Ithaca College

Photo cutline: Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union Scholarship winners display their awards.