WOBURN (June 24, 2019) – The Bay State Games has selected six statewide scholarship recipients for the 2019 Future Leaders Scholarship Program. These winners were selected from a large applicant pool after a process that included committee reviews of all applications and live interviews with selected applicants.
These future leaders were selected based on their achievements and involvement in academics, community service, athletics, and leadership roles. The Bay State Games Future Leaders Scholarship was established in 1989 and has since distributed nearly $400,000 in financial aid. Each of the rising high school seniors will receive a $2,000 scholarship.
"We are proud to announce our 2019 Future Leader scholarship winners, and to acknowledge six outstanding student-athletes whose contributions to their respective schools, teams and communities is extraordinary," said Phil Gloudemans, board chair of the Massachusetts Amateur Sports Foundation, the organizer of the Summer and Winter Bay State Games. "We are very confident that these young men and women will excel during their college careers, and emerge as the new leaders, managers, and executives in whatever field they choose to pursue."
This year’s six winners are:
Emily Dobrindt attends Milton High School where she is a swimmer for the Swim Team, as well as the South Shore YMCA Strypers for the past 11 years. She is very involved with the Friends of the Blue Hills organization, responsible for the upkeep of a local state park. Emily has done over 300 hours of community service, all while earning straight As in school. She has participated in the Bay State Games swimming competition for the past six years.
Alondra Msallem attends Dedham High School. She has run track and field since 6th grade, competes in cross country, and has participated in the Bay State Games for two years. Alondra is heavily involved in LeadersNow International, which is a worldwide organization that promotes leadership in young women. Through this, she gave back to the community and created her own leadership club at school, Leaders Achieving Service and Experience, to help younger students develop leadership skills.
Nishka Pant attends Westborough High School. She has been swimming for USA club teams over the past five years as well for her varsity swim team for the past three years, qualifying for the State Championship in each year. After winning the Global Harvard Vision Leadership Conference case study competition, she started a vision club at her high school, raising money for an eye hospital in India. Nishka interns at the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory of MIT, working on different research projects.
Keleyia Lamarra Rochelle is from Mattapan and attends Wellesley High School, where she swims on the varsity swim team and sings for her school’s a cappella group and jazz choir. She also is a member of the Young Ethnic Scholars club, which represents the school’s minority students and promotes diversity. Keleyia uses both swimming and music to help her community, by participating in the Swim for Life, raising money for Provincetown Social Services, and performing in assisted living communities. She participated in both the 2015 and 2016 Bay State Games swimming competition where she ranked as a finalist.
Jacqueline Smith is from Stow and attends Nashoba Regional High School in Bolton. She is a member of the Riverside Archers Road Team where she has been competing in archery competitions for the past two years. Jacqueline also has a passion for art and won a silver key in painting in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards in 2018. She wants to help teach and motivate younger students as well, and on her own became a volunteer teacher at a local elementary school. Jaqueline has participated in the Bay State Games for the past two years and will also be competing in the State Games of America this August.
Ella Stanwood is from Wenham and attends Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School. Ella has been figure skating since she was six years old and in 2018 achieved senior level for U.S. Figure Skating. She has recently competed in the New England Regional Competition and has been competing in the Bay State Games for the past seven years. Ella frequently volunteers her time to help her community, earning the Chester Twiss Memorial Award at the North Shore Skating Club, which is given to the member who dedicates the most time and effort to the community. Ella has also participated in community service trips to Nicaragua in 2018 and Panama in 2019.
