Recipients / Ambassadors
Recipients / Ambassadors
We celebrate past recipients of scholarships from the Elizabeth K. Giordano Scholarship Fund, who have pledged to be ambassadors of the safe-driving mission going forward. Here are their stories.
High School Seniors
2023
Mia Boucher
Mia Boucher, from Millbury, MA, attended Blackstone Valley Tech where she was part of the National Honor Society and ran varsity cross country and track and field.
Mia will attend the University of Colorado, Boulder to study Molecular and Cellular Biology.
This was Mia’s first year participating in the Hummingbird Run and she is extremely thankful for the opportunity to be one of the scholarship recipients, and pledges to spread the message of the importance of safe, responsible driving.
2023
Jack Friedman
Jack Friedman graduated from Mansfield High School where he has been an active member of the Travel Team, Swim Team, Cross Country Team and Track Team. In his senior year, Jack has led and mentored many of his teammates. Outside of school, Jack has volunteered at the Food Pantry and spent a month last summer as a Leader In Training for an overnight camp for boys and girls. He is now certified in CPR and as a Lifeguard. He plans to use these skills to be a Cabin Leader for that same camp this summer before heading off to college.
Jack will be heading to Syracuse University where he will be studying Chemical Engineering. Jack has always had a passion for science and hopes that what he learns will help him drive positive changes in the world.
Jack has taken a pledge against distracted driving and will work to bring awareness to his family, friends and those he meets. Jack is very thankful to the Giordano family for this scholarship.
2023
Aidan McGrail
Aidan McGrail graduated from Blackstone Valley RTHS and has been in the Electronics trade for the past four years. He has participated in Cross Country and Track & Field throughout high school. Aidan enjoys running and is always looking for local 5K races. He was happy to support such a serious cause as he recognizes the importance of safe driving.
Aidan will attend UMass Lowell and plans to major in Electrical Engineering. After graduating with an engineering degree, Aidan hopes he can do his own part in using his abilities to improve the world.
2023
Thomas Meader
Thomas Meader graduated from King Philip High School. He was an active member on the soccer team throughout his four years. He led by example, showing underclassmen how a person can be strong, resilient, and competitive and still be decent and kind.
Thomas will attend UMASS Dartmouth as a Business Major and will continue his passion to play soccer as a Corsair on the Men’s Soccer Team.
Thomas is very appreciative to receive the a scholarship award from the Hummingbird Foundation. He has taken a pledge against distracted driving and will encourage his friends and family to do the same.
2023
Luke Stehley
Luke Stehley graduated from King Philip Regional High School. At King Philip, Luke was an active teammate and participant on the boys’ lacrosse and hockey teams. Luke was a member of various honor societies and took part in helping his community along with his classmates.
Luke was awarded the Tiger Lang Passion for the Game award by his high school hockey coaches for his outstanding teamwork and his constant need to improve. Outside of school sports and events, Luke helps coach a youth hockey team along with some of his old coaches to give back to the roots where he was raised. While assistant coaching, he has been a positive role model for the young players by teaching them how to better themselves not only on the ice but off the ice as well.
Luke will attend Westfield State University as a Criminal Justice major and will also take part in Westfield’s Honors Program. He also hopes to play hockey and lacrosse at the club level at college.
2023
Zoe Strachan
Zoe Strachan will attend Salem State University, following her interest in science and healthcare. Her goal is to study nuclear medicine on a pre-med track. She hopes to follow that into the medical field and eventually become a doctor.
2022
Jack Moran
Jack Moran graduated from Franklin High School. He played on the Varsity soccer team for his last 3 years and was named Captain for his senior year. At FHS, Jack was also a member of the Connect For Cancer Club, as it is important to him to spread awareness for breast and childhood cancers. Throughout his high school years, Jack participated in CYO basketball, club and Franklin town travel soccer.
Jack will attend Merrimack College and will major in criminology/criminal justice. He hopes to pursue a career in law enforcement or as a firefighter. These aspirations are driven by his desire to give back and protect his community.
This was Jack’s first year participating in the Hummingbird Run and he is extremely grateful to have won one of the Elizabeth Giordano scholarship awards. As a result, he plans to be a strong advocate for the safe-driving mission and he is looking forward to attending future Hummingbird Run events.
2022
Jake Strollo
Jake Strollo attended Lexington High School and will be attending Bryant University in Rhode Island with an undeclared major.
Jake pledges to advocate for safe driving as he knows it can change or take any person’s life in a second. He takes this pledge in honor of friends and family, as well as others who would be impacted.
2022
Piper S.
Piper S. enjoys reading and creative writing in her free time. During the pandemic, she started an outdoor running program with her family (adults and kids). She completed her first 5K race while participating in the Hummingbird Run. She plans to partake in the 2023 Hummingbird 5K race while training for 10K in the future.
Piper plans to attend Bridgewater State University to major in Graphic Design with a goal of pursuing a career in the digital arts.
As a new driver, and with plans to commute to school daily, she believes in following the rules of the road in order to ensure her own safety and that of others. Piper encourages everyone to take the safe driving initiative seriously and will continue to inspire and remind her younger cousins, who will be driving in the future, of how important it is to focus while driving and not be distracted by our phones.
2022
Makayla Zavala
Makayla Zavala graduated from Weston High School where she participated in varsity indoor and outdoor track and field for four years and held the position of captain for two. She also was involved in many school activities and festivals throughout her time in Weston.
Makayla will attend Northeastern University and is majoring in neuroscience, with plans to head toward the pre-med track. With this, she hopes to research and treat brain injuries, potentially leading to sports medicine.
This is Makayla’s first Hummingbird Run event. She plans to participate in the future to advocate for safe driving, and pledges to never drive while distracted.
2021
Casey B.
Casey B. graduated from Walpole High School where she was an active member of Student Council and the school newspaper, also serving as social media coordinator. She has also participated in both soccer and lacrosse for many years.
Outside of school, Casey has volunteered with Capernaum, a special-needs youth group for the past four years, remotely for the last year during the pandemic. During high school, she has worked at a daycare center and worked part-time delivering pizza.
Casey will attend Fairfield University as an undecided major, but is considering Psychology in hopes of pursuing a career to help others. She also plans to spread the word of the dangers of distracted driving in her important role as a safe-driving ambassador.
2021
Sarah B.
Sarah B. graduated from Walpole High School with National Honor Society recognition. Sarah was a Varsity volleyball player for the last 2+ seasons, most recently serving as Senior Captain as the team’s Libero. Sarah participated in Student Council all four years and the school newspaper for the last three, where she held the position of Sports Editor.
Sarah has helped coach youth volleyball for both town and club teams and she also serves coffee at Marilou’s. Sarah has worked with Capernaum, a special-needs social group for the last four years, which included weekly meetings and outings. A highlight event was being a buddy at Night to Shine Prom in 2019.
Sarah will be attending Fairfield University as a Communications major, with an interest in pursuing a career in Music Promotion. She also hopes to continue with volleyball at the club level in college.
2021
Abby Meader
Abby Meader graduated from King Philip High School. During high school, Abby participated in soccer, cross county, winter track, and spring track, where she actively tried to be a supportive teammate and leader. She was one of the captains of spring track and hopes to help lead the team to do great things in the Hockomock League.
Abby will attend Quinnipiac University in the fall and is excited to be a part of the accelerated Occupational Therapy program. In this program, she hopes to work with kids to help them progress to perform regular activities of daily life and make sure they leave with a smile on their faces.
Abby has participated in the Hummingbird Run for the past few years and has pledged to drive safely as well as promote the idea of never driving distracted. As an ambassador, she hopes to caution others of the dangers of driving distracted in order to create safer roads in the future.
2021
Corey White
Corey White graduated from Norfolk County Agricultural High School, where he majored in Agricultural Mechanics. He was captain of the Cross Country team and a member of the Baseball team.
Corey will attend Massasoit Community College in Canton, majoring in HVAC to pursue his Associates degree and gain his certifications in the HVAC and Refrigeration industry. He hopes to someday own his own HVAC business.
Throughout high school, Corey worked at Linden Ponds Retirement Community as a dishwasher. This summer, he will be working in maintenance at the Black Rock Country Club to save up for his college expenses. He is very thankful for this scholarship from the Elizabeth K Giordano Scholarship Fund, as it will help fund and support him as he pursues further education.
2020
Jacob Dubin
Jacob Dubin graduated from Sharon High School. He will attend either UMass Amherst as a Sports Management major or Suffolk University as a Business Major in the Honors College. If attending Suffolk, Jacob will be on the cross-country and track teams. Whichever path he takes, Jacob hopes to use his organizational and leadership skills to create projects and initiatives in the future.
At Sharon High School, Jacob was the Co-President of the Environmental Club, dedicating his time making Sharon a more sustainable place. He was also the leader of Sharon’s Youth Running Program, introducing local youth (grades 1-6) to running. On top of that, he served as one of Sharon High’s MIAA (Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletics Association) Student Ambassadors.
In addition, Jacob was part of Team Rival Peer Leadership, providing substance abuse prevention initiatives in his community. Team Rival also works closely with Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) to ensure the students in the community stay informed on how to stay safe in potentially risky situations or how to avoid them entirely. Along with the Hummingbird Safe Driving Initiative and the Giordano Family, Jacob guarantees his commitment to be an advocate for safe driving.
2020
Molly McCarthy
Molly McCarthy graduated from Nipmuc Regional High School. Molly was active on the high school soccer team, track team, and ski club. She was also a regular at spin classes every day.
A favorite for Molly senior year was an internship through her high school working with teens with special needs. She is a big advocate for those who may not have a voice.
She also worked part time for the last year at Cornerstone Assisted Living Facility as a dining room server.
Molly will attend Merrimack College. Although her major is yet undecided, Molly is interested in exercise, nutrition, and personal health.
2019
Maura Bruns
Maura Bruns is a graduate of Franklin High School. She was a member of her cross-country and track team her whole high school career. Maura will attend Bridgewater State University to major in special education. She will continue her running career with the Bridgewater State cross-country and track team. Maura hopes in the future to become a special education teacher and help kids who learn differently.
Maura has taken a pledge of no texting or talking on the phone while driving. She feels that distracted driving is an increasing problem as more distracted driving accidents happen every day. Maura gladly thanks the Giordano family for the amazing opportunity the Hummingbird Foundation is able to bring.
2019
Haley McDonagh
After graduating from Norwood High School, Haley will attend Ursuline College in Ohio where she will study nursing. She will also be running for Ursuline’s cross-country and track teams.
During Haley’s time at Norwood High School, she accumulated over 100 hours of volunteer work as a religious education teacher and with various environmental organizations. In addition, Haley was a Mustang Mentor and a member of the Latin Club. During the summer, Haley is a full-time camp counselor and works part-time as a hostess during the school year.
As a four-year member of Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), Haley is aware of the causes and dangers of distracted driving and encourages family and friends to never leave phones on while driving. Haley pledges to always be an advocate for safe driving in Elizabeth Giordano’s memory and wants to express her sincere gratitude to the Giordano family for the generous scholarship.
2019
Hannah Murphy
Hannah Murphy attended Westwood High School and was a dedicated member of the performing arts department, as well as a member of the fashion club and drama club. She spends her summers as a camp counselor for the Westwood Recreation Department. She will attend Villanova University, and will pursue a major in psychology and a minor in education. Hannah’s goal is to become an elementary school teacher or school psychologist.
Hannah has taken a pledge against distracted driving and will work to spread awareness for the cause.
2018
Haley Hebert
Haley attended Foxborough High School and was heavily involved in filmmaking and art. She was a part of FHS’ first National Art Honor Society and won many awards for her films. Haley also worked in childcare at the Foxboro YMCA.
Haley will be attending Lesley University, Cambridge, MA and majoring in Digital Filmmaking. Haley is thankful to have interned at Norfolk Community Television, where she was introduced to the Hummingbird Run. Haley thanks the Giordano family for the incredible contribution to her future endeavors, and for their passion for safe driving. Haley has taken the “no texting while driving” pledge and is encouraging others to do the same.
2018
Kathleen O'Connor
Kathleen plans to study nursing at Saint Anselm’s College with hopes of becoming a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit nurse. This has been a goal of hers throughout high school. Kathleen loves children and spends a lot of time babysitting. She summers on the Cape and works as a lifeguard. Distracted driving has not personally affected Kathleen, but she still believes it is an important issue. To prevent distracted driving, Kathleen has “do not disturb while driving” enabled on her phone to eliminate distractions. She encourages her family and friends to do the same.
2018
Brianna Steele
Brianna Steele graduated from Wachusett Regional High School. She was captain of the track and field team and plans to continue her education and running career at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. She is very interested in the health science field and loves working with children. She hopes to someday pursue a career as a pediatric nurse at one of the many health care facilities in Boston. Brianna works as a waitress at a wedding venue and as a lifeguard during the summer to save up for college and she says, “I am very thankful for this scholarship, it will help a lot and you are supporting a highly motivated, grateful student athlete.” Brianna also pledges to advocate for safe driving and to stand up to stop distracted driving accidents.
2017
CJ Biedermann
CJ Biedermann attended Mansfield High School and was s a member of the track team and business club. He will attend The University of New Hampshire in Durham, New Hampshire, with a major in business. His specified field is currently uncertain, but he plans to explore his interests via his education and internship opportunities at UNH.
CJ thanks the Giordano family for their generous contribution to his schooling, as well as their activity in the safe-driving movement. He said, “I’m grateful for the generosity of the Giordano family which is a huge help in the next step of my education. I promise to do my best to represent the scholarship through my work in the coming years.
“I also want to congratulate the Giordanos on another successful year of the Hummingbird Run, which was a great event for all who attended and it continues to grow. Finally, I’d like to encourage everyone to make a conscious decision to put a stop to distracted driving by enforcing it in their personal lives and spreading the message.”
2017
Samantha Cragan
After Samantha graduates from Bishop Feehan high school, she will spend her next four years at High Point University in North Carolina. Samantha plans to study Communications and hopefully become a Sports Broadcaster. Over her high school career, she spent a great amount of time volunteering in her school community as well as her community in Mansfield, her hometown. In addition to volunteering, she works at the Foxboro YMCA as a camp counselor over the summer, and as a coach for soccer, tee-ball, and basketball the remainder of the year. Finally, Samantha has taken a “no texting while driving” pledge and has encouraged her friends to do the same.
2017
Julie Romano
After graduation, Julie Romano will be attending the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, where she will be studying conservation biology. She has had a life-long interest in conservation, and she hopes to have a positive impact on the environment. With a degree in conservation biology, she hopes to have a career doing scientific research or work in the fields of environmental law enforcement or education.
2016
Marcus Campbell
Marcus Campbell went on to attend the Berklee College of Music, majoring in music management.
Marcus told the Giordano family: “My goal is to become a professional musician. I’m attending Berklee because I believe it will give me the best preparation for that. That is a dream that I am following. With the music management major, I am still getting the lessons and experience of a performance major, but if I don’t make it with my playing the next thing I want to do is get a job in the management of upcoming artists. Thank you so much for everything and I will do my best to represent this scholarship in a great way!”
2016
Nicholas Tenaglia
Nicholas Tenaglia went on to attend The University of Massachusetts Lowell. He planned to study chemical engineering with a focus on nuclear engineering, while working on his bachelor’s degree from the Francis College of Engineering. He hopes to complete an accelerated master’s program in Energy Engineering. His long-term outlook for his career is to have the opportunity to help develop cleaner energy solutions for today’s society. Nicholas said, “In a modern world, the need for energy is constantly increasing and it is clear that we cannot maintain our current wasteful practices. My dream is simple. My dream is to dedicate my life to making the world a cleaner and safer place for the countless generations that will come after me.“
Curry College Students
2022
Kyle Lamontagne
Kyle Lamontagne graduated a semester early from Curry College. He majored in Psychology and graduated with a 3.97 GPA; he had also been on the Dean’s List every semester. Kyle is a member of Lambda Pi Eta, the Communication Honor Society, as well as the Psi Chi International Honor Society in Psychology.
Kyle was very involved on campus. He held two on-campus jobs working in the Levin Library as a Student Library Assistant, as well as working at the Curry College Speaking Center as a Head Speech Associate. Kyle also completed three internships and obtained other research experience during his time at Curry.
Kyle has a strong passion for working with children and hopes to make a difference in diversifying various school systems. He is currently a Part-Time Therapeutic Counselor at the Justice Resource Institute’s Total Achievement Program in Plymouth. He has also been accepted into UMass Boston’s School Psychology Graduate Program, which he will attend with the hopes of becoming a School Psychologist in an elementary-level school. Kyle is extremely grateful to have received a scholarship from a foundation with such strong values.
2021
Lexi Pochay
Alexis Pochay — who prefers Lexi — attends Curry College and double majors in Psychology and Criminal Justice. She has a 3.98 GPA and has been on the Dean’s list every semester. She is a member of Alpha Phi Sigma, the Criminal Justice Honor Society, and hopes to become a member of the Psi Chi International Honor Society as well.
Lexi strives to be involved on campus through her work as a Student Building Manager at the Student Center and her participation in several clubs on campus including the Psychology Club and Criminal Justice Student Organization. She participates in PsiAN’s Developing Professionals Committee Undergraduate Mentorship program, which acknowledges the importance of depth, insight, and relational psychology.
Lexi has not settled on a single career path that she wants to pursue after graduation, but she eventually wants to attend graduate school to further her education. Several potential careers that she is considering include forensic psychology, counseling first responders, and victim advocacy. Lexi is honored and thankful to have received a scholarship from a foundation with such an important message.
2020
Carrigan Costello
Carrigan Costello is a recent Curry College graduate. At the time she received an Elizabeth K Giordano scholarship, she carried a 3.96 GPA. She majored in Psychology and minored in Education. She was very active in the Curry community and was a member of the softball team and officiated Intramural Sports at Curry.
Carrigan plans to work in the community where she can help others. While at Curry, she worked with children with disabilities in an after-school program, as well as participated in an internship working with adults with disabilities. She plans to continue to work with either adults or children with disabilities. She is a member of the Psi Chi International Honor Society as well as the Alexander Graham Bell Honor Society. Carrigan states that she believes in the importance of safe driving and practices safe driving herself. She keeps her phone on silent and knows that any text she gets can wait. She extends her thanks to the Hummingbird Foundation and stands by its values.
2019
Victoria Parks
Victoria Parks attends Curry College, where she majors in both Psychology and Sociology. She is involved in helping Curry’s community, as well as others.
While at Curry, Victoria has had various leadership opportunities with clubs and organizations, community service groups, and committees. As President of the Psychology Club, Orientation Leader, and Coordinator of Alternative Spring Break (to benefit Habitat for Humanity), Victoria devoted her time to building a welcoming community at Curry, while also giving back. She has always had a passion and love for children and helping others. While at Curry, she completed three internships working with children of all ages who are facing social, emotional, and behavioral challenges.
Victoria has not yet determined her career path after graduation, but hopes to continue her work with children, assisting them with the tools they need to be confident, resilient, inclusive, and successful. She is honored and grateful to be a recipient of the Hummingbird Foundation’s scholarship in Elizabeth Giordano’s memory.
2018
Cassandra Manning
Cassandra Manning attends Curry College and majors in both psychology and criminal justice, with a minor in education. She intends to continue on to law school and then pursue a career in family law or child rights advocacy law.
Cassandra works at the CECC, a childcare center on campus, and as a Resident Assistant and a Community Desk Attendant for the college’s Public Safety Office. She also works with the Office of Disability Services.
At the time of receiving the scholarship from the Hummingbird Foundation, Cassandra carries a 4.0 GPA at Curry. She was admitted into the college’s chapter of PSI CHI International Honor Society for Psychology and the Alexander Graham Bell Honor Society.
Cassandra believes very strongly in the importance of safe driving and makes it a habit to turn off her phone and have it out of reach whenever she gets behind the wheel, to avoid any temptation to pick it up. She encourages friends to do so as well.
Like Elizabeth, Cassandra grew up in Wrentham and attended King Philip High School. She embodies the values of Elizabeth’s legacy to help others.
Update: Cassandra graduated as Valedictorian in 2018.
2016
Tanisha Baptiste
Tanisha Baptiste is a senior at Curry College, majoring in Psychology. Tanisha is from a beautiful little town on the island of Nantucket, off the coast of Cape Cod. Living on Nantucket enabled her to grow up in a close-knit community where literally everybody knows your name.
Back home a number of people are rooting for Tanisha’s success and encouraging her every step of the way. She puts a lot of effort into her studies to make her family and community proud. At Curry, Tanisha excels in the classroom, and aims to be a competitive force within the field of psychology.
Upon graduation in May 2017, Tanisha plans to build her experience working within psychology for a year and then attend graduate school. Eventually she hopes to have her own private practice, counseling different populations with numerous needs.
Tanisha says one of her biggest strengths is that she is always able to adapt to her surroundings, no matter what is thrown at her, and because of her flexibility there is nothing stopping her from accomplishing her dreams. Her mother always told her to reach for the stars. While that is true, she has a slightly different notion: “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” –Norman Vincent Peale
2011 and 2012
Heather Mae Flaherty
Heather majored in psychology at Curry College. A 2010 graduate of Norwood High School, Heather loves sports and played field hockey, softball, and tennis during high school. In college she coached tennis, and also worked as an admissions assistant, helping to recruit new students to Curry.
Throughout Heather’s lifetime, she has been involved in many volunteer projects and hoped to continue to help others. Heather planned to attend graduate school after receiving her bachelors at Curry. She has many interests in psychology, but was particularly interested in teaching and research.
The annual scholarship at Curry College is meant to help students following Elizabeth’s path, studying psychology. Heather Mae Flaherty won the Hummingbird Foundation scholarship two years in a row. Heather stated, “I’ve always raised money for charities and others. So for someone to reach out and give me money was really incredible.”
Heather wrote a letter to the Giordano family, thanking them for their contribution to funding her education. Then she went a step further, arranging an in-person meeting with Elizabeth’s mother and sister. For Heather, the meeting put a whole new perspective on the scholarship’s meaning. “It’s an extra amount of money and it’s really relieving and makes paying for school easier. But it makes such a difference to meet the family and associate a name and face with it.”