campus news & events

Grace Hanlon Award Provides Scholarship for Kearsarge Regional High School Students to Attend Colby-Sawyer College

NEW LONDON, N.H., Sept. 21, 2007 – A four-year scholarship program, the Grace Hanlon Achievement Award, seeks to help academically motivated Kearsarge Regional High School students in realizing their dreams of attending college.

The Grace Hanlon Achievement Award, funded by anonymous donors, provides KRHS students with an opportunity to attend Colby-Sawyer College, a comprehensive liberal arts and sciences college located in New London. To qualify for the award, the students must be admitted to the college and have strong academic records and a history of positive involvement in co-curricular and community activities.

“The Grace Hanlon Achievement Award provides incredible opportunities for students who might not otherwise be able to attend college,” says Beth Cahill, Colby-Sawyer's vice president of Advancement. “We hope the award encourages Kearsarge students not only to see college as a destination, but that it also encourages them to focus on choosing the right classes and doing well in high school. If they do that, this opportunity, as well as many others, may be open to them in the future.”

Local Students Receive 2007-2008 Awards

The 2007-2008 recipients of Grace Hanlon Achievement Awards are Ashley Miller of Wilmot and Jamie Trombley of Warner. Miller, a Colby-Sawyer sophomore who intends to major in nursing, also received the scholarship award in her first year. Once selected, students in good academic standing are eligible to receive the award for all four years of college.

Miller likes the environment at Colby-Sawyer and the close personal relationships she has formed with her professors, and she's grateful for this opportunity to pursue all her interests in the liberal arts. “I'm just so thankful there are people generous enough to help kids get a good education. It's really helped me to get the education I wanted,” she says. “Hopefully, someday, by being a nurse, I can help my community in some small way.”

“Even though it's close to home, I love it here,” adds Miller. “It's a really positive environment, and I've developed some great relationships with my professors.”

Trombley, a first-year student, intends to pursue a degree in studio art. Like Miller, she was engaged in many clubs and activities in high school, but now she hopes to focus intensely on her studies and possibly graduate within three years. Then she plans to travel and begin a career of creating and teaching art.

For KRHS students who want to attend college–even those who plan to attend a larger university far from home–Trombley suggests taking a look at the Grace Hanlon Achievement Award and the opportunities it offers at Colby-Sawyer College.

“I love my classes and am really psyched about learning so much,” she says, expressing particular enthusiasm for her sculpture course. “And I'm really impressed with how helpful and caring everyone is here. I don't think I'd get that in a bigger community.”

Both students would like to express their appreciation to the anonymous donor personally, and they feel extremely fortunate and optimistic about where their college education will take them. “I'm so appreciative of this award, which will allow me to start my life after college debt free,” Trombley says. “I don't know any other students who've received a gift like this.”

For more information about the Grace Hanlon Award for Kearsarge Regional High School students, please contact Vice President for Advancement Beth Cahill at (603) 526-3729 or ecahill@colby-sawyer.edu.

About Colby-Sawyer College
Colby-Sawyer College, founded in 1837, is a comprehensive liberal arts college located in the scenic Lake Sunapee Region of central New Hampshire. Students learn in a select array of programs that integrate the liberal arts and sciences with pre-professional experience.

Colby-Sawyer College, 541 Main Street, New London, N.H. 03257 (603) 526-3000 www.colby-sawyer.edu