Westfield – The Westfield Foundation is pleased to announce Claire Hunter and Mia Melao as the Clarence H. and Florence Horn Van Dellen Scholarship recipients for 2018.
Claire was an outstanding student at WHS, taking a very demanding program of study. She balanced her rigorous academic schedule while teaching “Little Stars” – a dance program for children with special needs and disabilities. She was an Assistant Athletic Trainer, a Transition Leader and has reached the highest level in Girl Scouts.
Claire is attending The College of New Jersey. She is studying Occupational Therapy. Her journey to become an occupational therapist was sparked by her Junior research paper. Being a lifelong dancer, she wanted to combine her love of dance with her interest in the health sciences. She focused on the use of dance therapy with autistic children. Her results found a positive effect on the physical, emotional, mental and social well-being of the children. Her goal is to use dance therapy combined with a degree as an occupational therapist to help children with autism.
At WHS, Mia was a standout cross-country runner and is on the cross-country team for Fairfield University in Connecticut, where she is enrolled in the honors program, studying nursing. Mia shared her love of running with youth in the area, as a coach for the Westfield YMCA Flyers Track Club. Additionally, Mia was an active member at WHS as a transition leader, a member of the WHS National Honor Society, volunteered as a peer minister at St. Helen’s Church, and volunteered for Project Linus, a charity dedicated to distributing blankets to children in hospitals, shelters, and social service agencies.
Mia realized she wanted to be a nurse during her junior year of high school. An AP Biology class reading requirement, Origins: How the Nine Months Before Birth Shape the Rest of Our Lives by Annie Murphy Paul, inspired her Junior research paper. For her research, Mia studied new technologies which could predict illnesses in a fetus that would not present themselves until late adulthood. This paper combined with her dissection unit in biology made her realize she loved the sciences and inspired her to become a nurse.
The Van Dellen Scholarship is $10,000 a year for four years totaling $40,000. The selection criteria for the scholarship are: community service, academic achievement (top 25% of class), character, financial need and leadership.
The Westfield Rotary’s Scholarship Committee also administers several scholarships for the community-based Westfield Foundation. Two top scholarships awarded in memory of Charles and Florence Wallace total $15,000 each, to be paid over the course of four years. The 2018 recipients are Claire Hunter and Shea Elliott. The recipient of the Scholarship in memory of Chester A. Gerdes is Noah Ensslin. In addition, the Linda Read Memorial Scholarships recipient is Julia Vricella-Stokes and the Read Law Scholarships recipients are Julia Schiano and Julia Robb.