Having awarded four $2,500 scholarships to outstanding BHS seniors each year for the past eight, AFBHS this year increased the individual amount to $3,000 and awarded four more. Presenting the scholarships at Senior Awards Day on June 3 were AFBHS Directors Angelo Firenze and Sarah Ellison. With them in the photo below are the recipients, from left to right: Naria Sealy (University of Massachusetts, Amherst), Samari Winklaar (Franklin Pierce University), Mariam Abutaleb (Brown University) and Khenijah Soberanis (Savannah College of Art and Design).
Naria Sealy could consistently be seen throughout Belmont High School helping teachers, administrators, and students alike. She is particularly interested in the sciences and took several advanced placement courses including chemistry. She was chosen to participate in the CURE program at Dana-Farber that establishes mentorship opportunities for students to explore the field of cancer research and has also appeared on the track, on the stage in a musical, and in other leadership positions at BHS.
Samari Winklaar has drive and ambition that stands out among her peers. An enthusiastic and dedicated basketball player, she was a member of the BHS girls’ varsity team and hopes to play basketball in college.. To maintain her fitness she goes to the gym regularly and has impressed teammates with her perseverance through injuries and her love of the game. Singing and dancing are also a part of her life, and she regularly sings at her church. Samari holds herself to high academic standards and has succeeded in achieving an outstanding record.
Mariam Abutaleb is a young woman in control of her future. She is poised, mature, dedicated, and hardworking with aura of seriousness about her that is surely a byproduct of her devotion to education and her outside interests. She has been involved in activities that connect her with both her Japanese and Lebanese heritages and her general interest in humanitarianism. She is a leader in the schools Partners in Health Club and feels strongly about the international organization’s mission. An outstanding student, Miriam has the goal to serve the world as a researcher in the field of neuroscience.
Khenijah Soberanis is a very talented and highly creative artist and an excellent student. Her current passion is animation, a pursuit that she has explored through her involvement in the Cosplay Club at Belmont High as well as in the Smash/Video Game Club. In addition to following her dream of becoming an animator, Khenijah has become passionate about farming and food justice. She enjoys collaborating with others to educate the community, has volunteered for The Food Project in Dorchester and has participated in the Parkside Summer Enrichment program as a camp counselor.