Two local students have been awarded scholarships from NorthEast Electrical, a Sonepar company, according to a community announcement.
Juliette Alonso from Blue Hills Regional Technical School and Trinity Starks from Brockton High School are among the recipients. The scholarships are part of a program that supports high school students entering vocational fields, such as electricians.
NorthEast Electrical, an electrical distributor headquartered in Brockton, awarded seven $1,000 scholarships and six $500 tool grants to graduating high school seniors throughout New England.
Alonso and Starks shared excerpts from their application essays, which focused on communities and inclusion.
“When 10-year-old me went out of that taxi, I didn’t want to speak perfect Spanish, I wanted to learn, share, give, grow, and cultivate beautiful things from it with others,” Alonso wrote. “I longed to embrace this culture and people, to express ‘I love you’ — no, to say, ‘te amo.'”
Starks wrote about the power of a smile.
“I began to realize the beauty and power of a simple smile,” Starks wrote. “I learned that a smile can transcend all language barriers. A smile is a universal indicator of acceptance, kindness, and hospitality. Every time I smiled at someone, their eyes would light up. They understood me and I understood them. A smile is a language of its own.”
This story was created by reporter Beth McDermott, bmcdermott1@gannett.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.
