SPC Projects:

Elaine Cencak Memorial Scholarship Program

Scholarship Winners

2008 - $1000 scholarship awarded

Lauren Carroccia of Assumption College is the 2008 recipient of SPC’s Elaine Cencak Memorial Scholarship.

Lauren, who is from Warwick, Rhode Island, has a double major—English with a concentration in writing and mass communication, and Spanish. This past year, she served as the Business Manager and editor for Assumption’s student newspaper, Le Provacateu, and as fiction editor for the campus literary magazine, The Phoenix. Lauren’s academic advisor, who also is one of her professors, noted in his letter of recommendation that “Lauren has a keen commitment to excellence…[is] a gifted writer…[and] has a nose for issues that affect the student readers…”

The SPC Scholarship Committee, who judged the applications, were impressed with her professionalism, passion for writing and a communications career, and well-rounded approach to her education and communications.

During her senior year this fall, Lauren will work as an intern for the Central Massachusetts/Worcester County Convention and Visitors Bureau. It is a strategic opportunity that has the potential to give Lauren an opportunity to hone her wide-ranging communications skills in the business world, and to provide entrée to the area of communications she plans to pursue following graduation.

SPC established this scholarship to commemorate its 50th anniversary, which was celebrated during its 2001/2002 membership year. The award is named for Elaine Cencak, who helped to establish the organization and nurtured it as advisor and mentor during its first four decades.

Judging is based on several criteria—creative contributions to communications, academic achievement and accomplishments, demonstration of a commitment to a communications career; writing skills; enthusiasm for communications; and the quality of the scholarship application.

2007 - $1000 scholarship awarded

Sara L. Fealhaber, of Manville, RI, a Clark University junior , plans a career in communications. Fealhaber was instrumental in the development of a community-based Website called MainSouthSpeaks.com, where she gained hands-on experience with Web design and video production.

At Clark, Fealhaber majors in Communications and Culture. She studied abroad in Australia during the fall 2006 semester, and she plans at some point to conduct research in Chiapas, Mexico, using her video documentary and photography skills. Among her many extracurricular activities, she is captain of the varsity women's crew and was named to the NEWMAC Women's Rowing Varsity All-Conference Team and was an All-Conference Athletic Scholar. She serves as photographer for the Athletics Department, mentors students at a nearby public school, is a Peer Learning Assistant, and Clark Trek coordinator. She is a member of the Scarlet Key Society and Lambda Pi Eta honor society. A Dean's List student, she has also received the Harrison Grant and Alumni and Friends Scholarship.

Fealhaber joined the project MainSouthSpeaks.com as a sophomore and became increasingly involved during the 2006-07 academic year. "It's rewarding to find a project that includes so many learning experiences, but is also community based and focused on improving Main South in Worcester," she says..

2005/2006 - $1000 scholarship awarded

Courtney Towson, a junior at Worcester State College, is an English major with a concentration in writing from West Townsend, MA. During the past year, she dedicated herself to managing and mentoring a large staff of Worcester State College students to produce a highly professional biweekly student newspaper, resurrecting it from near extinction. Courtney has demonstrated her keen interest in the communications field with an internship at Worcester Magazine, where she is responsible for writing Arts and Entertainment articles on a weekly basis.  Her editor notes that her copy is consistently clean, well researched, factually correct and successfully composed and she meets her deadlines.  She works with an earnestness that is both admirable and inspiring, he added. Upon graduation, Courtney plans to seek employment in the field of magazine journalism.

The SPC scholarship judges lauded Courtney’s initiative in pursuing a career in a communications’ field and her work in reestablishing Worcester State's official student newspaper.  Her achievements certainly reflect Elaine Cencak's tenacity and work in establishing the SPC within our community.

2004 - $1000 scholarship awarded

Kathleen Ferguson, a junior at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, is a technical communications major from Kirkland, WA. A former biology major, Ferguson has found a way to meld her love of the scientific with her exceptional writing skills. She has worked as an editor for a high school chemistry curriculum, translating complex chemistry ideas into easily understandable language. In her free time, Ferguson has also designed several web sites, including a current-events site for “overlooked” news items and facts. Upon graduation, she plans to seek employment as a science writer for a newspaper or magazine.

Scholarship judges noted that Ferguson is a “sophisticated writer and thinker—exactly the kind of star that SPC should recognize.”

2003 - two $500 scholarships awarded

Kimberly Dunbar was a junior pursuing a double major in English and Communications from Clark University. She served as Sports Editor for Clark University’s student newspaper, The Scarlet, as well as a Media Relations Assistant in the Public Affairs Office at Clark. She also interned for Sales On-Line Direct, a sports promotion and internet-based company in Worcester, where she edited and managed personal web sites for professional athletes such as Antoine Walker, Jerry Rice and Deuce McAllister. Ms. Dunbar’s ultimate career goal was to work in public relations in a sports-related environment.

Anthony Wieczorek was a junior majoring in Technical, Scientific and Professional Communication at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He idesigned the first website exhibition for the Charles Dickens Museum in London, England. The completed project was to showcase online the museum’s volumes of Charles Dickens by Pen and Pencil. He also planned, wrote and implemented a diversity training workshop to help raise awareness within the WPI community of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues. Mr. Wieczorek planned to pursue a career in marketing or public relations for a technical or scientific company or organization.

2002 - two $500 scholarships

Vanessa Clark was a junior pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic design at Becker College. Clark, a skilled graphic designer and multimedia/web designer, was awarded the 2001 Merit - Holland Award by the Worcester Ad Club for a logo design. She planned to study abroad in the spring of 2003 at Grimsby College in England, where she would focus on CD-ROMs, videos and computer animation technology. Her ultimate career dream was to own her own graphic design studio.

Dana Bushouse was a sophomore at Assumption College pursuing a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Communications. Bushouse had used her impressive talents as a communicator to support her commitment to public service. As a volunteer fundraiser for the Worcester Animal League, she designed and mailed a fund-raising flyer to more than 2,000 individuals and businesses, raising over $3,000 to provide an outdoor fenced play area. She also executed mail campaigns, recruited volunteers, held numerous fundraisers, established Saturday adoptions with Petco, and initiated the Barney Fund for dogs in need of surgery. Her ultimate career goal was to work as a director of development for a non-profit organization.