Home Builders & Remodelers Association Awards

 17 Scholarships to Local Students

Springfield, Mass. – The Home Builders & Remodelers Association of Western Massachusetts (HBRA-WM) will hold their annual Scholarship Awards Ceremony on Thursday, June 7, 2012 at the Home Builders & Remodelers Association in Springfield to formally recognize the achievements of eight Member Scholarship Program recipients, one UMASS NAHB Student Chapter recipient, two Vocational Scholarship recipients and six Vocational Scholarship/Tool Acquisition Award recipients.

To have been eligible for the $1,000.00 HBRA-WM Member Scholarship Program, the applicant had to be affiliated with a member or the employee of a member company. The association also has a Student Chapter at UMASS that is associated with the National Association of Home Builders. These affiliated students were all able to apply for a scholarship from the association. The association also awarded area trade and vocational high school students’ $500.00 cash scholarships or tool acquisition awards to further their careers in the building industry. The association issued a request to each of the fourteen schools in their service area of Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin and Berkshire counties to recommend an exemplary student to compete for one of these awards. The association offered vocational school students the option to receive a $1,000 scholarship to the college of their choice. Any vocational student in the fourteen area trade schools could apply and compete for this scholarship. Since the inception of these programs, the association has awarded $330,500.00 to deserving students.

The 17 individuals selected as the 2012 HBRA-WM scholarship recipients include:

Ashley Anderson, daughter of Scott Anderson of Palmer, who will attend Anna Maria College; Ann Bergeron, daughter of Barbara & Jeffrey Bergeron of West Springfield, who attends the University of Massachusetts – Amherst;  Benjamin Brigham, son of Debra & Richard Brigham of Brookfield, who will attend Quinsigamond Community College; Tom Curry, son of Deb & Tom Curry of Pittsfield, who will attend Berkshire Community College; Matthew DiBara, Jr., son of Michele Sinclair & Matthew DiBara Sr. of Lancaster, who attends the University of Massachusetts –Amherst; Meghan Goodrow, daughter of Michelle & Raymond Goodrow III of Sunderland, who attends Elms College; Mirela Grbesic, daughter of Mirna & Alen Grbesic of Agawam, who attends Asnuntuck Community College; Emilee Herringshaw, daughter of Suzanne & Al Herringshaw of Longmeadow, who will attend Boston College; Bryan Kelly, son of Denise & Keith Kelly of Lee, who will attend Suny Delhi; Kurt Laplante, son of Roy Laplante of Chicopee, who attended Chicopee Comprehensive High School – Career & Technical Education Program; Chelsea Merritt, daughter of Kim & Brett Merritt of Russell, who will attend the University of Massachusetts – Amherst; Liane Moses, daughter of Monique & Edward Moses of East Longmeadow, who attends Springfield College; Shaun Phelps, son of Sue Phelps of Pittsfield, who will attend Berkshire Community College; Valentin Salagornik, son of Dmitriy Salagornik of Feeding Hills, who attended Lower Pioneer Valley Career & Technical Education Center; Stephanie Scherpa, daughter of Paula & William Scherpa of Feeding Hills, who attends the University of Massachusetts – Dartmouth; Susan Skaza, daughter of Lorene & Sydney Skaza of Ludlow, who attends Wheaton College and Maleek Wedderburn, son of Mark Wedderburn of Brimfield, who will attend Springfield Technical Community College. 

The association applauds the achievements of these individuals and wishes them well in their future endeavors.