The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) recently celebrated the recipients of the 2021 Diversity Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Scholarships. Scholarships are awarded to graduating high school students who have shown an interest in pursuing a degree that could be utilized in the transportation industry, have done community service, have been accepted to an accredited college or university and have submitted essays describing their career interests or how community service has affected their outlook on life. Two Boston students, Arianna Callender and Djackyna Celestin, are each receiving $3,000 awards for college.
“Everything we do here at Massport involves STEM. There are countless career paths in the tech and science industries for students to explore, and so many opportunities here in Massachusetts,” said Massport CEO Lisa Wieland. “We wish Arianna and Djackyna the best of luck at school, and hope these scholarships encourage even more students to take a serious look at the STEM disciplines when planning their career paths.”
The 2021 Recipients of the Diversity STEM Scholarship:
Djackyna Celestin
Jamaica Plain
Djackyna just graduated from Brighton High School with a 3.70 GPA. She will be attending University of Massachusetts Amherst in the fall. She believes that studying engineering will open her mind mentally and physically, and in the future she wants to give back to her community by using her engineering skills. One of her teachers said, “She is a motivated student, driven towards success by rich vision for her future and a keen eye for observing injustices and opportunities in the world around her.”
She has also completed ambitious and challenging internships that are deeply relevant to her career aspirations and values: organizing protests and policy discussions for the Boston Teachers Union, and exploring the legal field by working at Burns & Levinson LLP.
Arianna Callender
Mattapan
Arianna recently graduated from the Boston Community Leadership Academy in Hyde Park with a 4.37 GPA.
She will be attending Bryn Mawr College of Pennsylvania in the fall, where she will be majoring in biochemistry with a minor in health studies. Arianna’s dream is to become a cardiothoracic surgeon.
Her math teacher said: “Arianna is determined to enter the field of medicine, with aspirations and plans to become a doctor.”
Arianna volunteers at Boston Cares, preparing and distributing meals to children and adults. While participating in the Student Scholar of Success Link Program, she received college credit and represented students on the Boston Student Advisory Council. In her words, she “wants to come back to her community and help shape higher path for learning, improve health care, and help underrepresented families all over the world.”
To be considered for the Diversity STEM Scholarship, graduating seniors MUST be:
• A student of color
• A resident or school attendee in the City of Boston or one of Massport’s Neighboring Communities (East Boston, South Boston, Chelsea, Charlestown, Winthrop, Revere, Worcester, Lexington, Lincoln, Concord and Bedford)
• A high school senior with a minimum 3.0 GPA
• Accepted to an accredited college or university
• Involved in community service
• Interested in pursuing a degree that could be utilized in the Transportation Industry. Areas of study may include but not limited to Aviation, Maritime, Real Estate, Business Administration, Accounting, Architecture, Engineering, Finance, or Human Resources.
The applications were judged by a committee of Massport employees. More information about the scholarship can be found here www.massport.com/massport/community/initiatives/internship-scholarships/.