Scholar Celebration Recounts Challenges, Joys, Achievements of 2020-21 School Year
In last month’s Scholar Celebration, our resident director Sandra Hilario shared a bittersweet moment. She recalled that early this school year as Thanksgiving was approaching and COVID regulations were strict, the Scholars had a decision to make.
“We were faced with a difficult choice for their safety, as well as the program and their ability to continue. They deserved to go home to their families. But they were able to bring a piece of their home into ours. From that day forward, this place stopped being a dormitory and became a second home,” said Hilario.
In a year when almost every event was a virtual one, the 2021 ABC of Andover Scholar Celebration stood out for that sense of home and the strong ties between the scholars, the staff and the volunteers, all of whom played a role in celebrating a group of Scholars ABC of Andover President Gabby Nossiff called, “quite possibly the bravest scholars in our ABC history.”
A sendoff for senior scholar Abby
As the only senior Scholar in the house, Abby got lots of shout outs during the celebration, and many speakers shared their memories of Abby’s first visit to the ABC house on Main Street. At 13-years-old, Abby enrolled in the program without ever having visited Andover. Since then, she has won awards in Chinese, history and math. She joined the school’s prestigious (and demanding) show choir. She completed summer courses at Brown, and Advanced Placement courses at AHS. She woke up at 5 a.m. every school day last spring, as classes had moved completely online and she had moved home to California. With straight A’s from those challenging months of remote schooling, Abby came into her senior year in a strong position to apply to college.
“I couldn’t have asked for a greater group of girls to spend my high school years with. Thanks for being my best friends. Please visit me next year. We will definitely be creating more memories together.”
Abby applied to 23 schools, and the good news started to roll in in March. She ultimately chose to stay in Massachusetts, and in the fall, she will be a FirstGen Presidential Fellow at Bentley University, where she plans to study business. After thanking her host family, her academic advisors, staff and volunteers, Abby said to her fellow Scholars, “I couldn’t have asked for a greater group of girls to spend my high school years with. Thanks for being my best friends. Please visit me next year. We will definitely be creating more memories together.”
Scholars, staff, scholarships and announcements
In addition to celebrating Abby’s graduation and achievements during her time in Andover, the Scholar Celebration featured numerous awards and announcements, including:
Scholar Gabby earned the Samuel S. Rogers Prize for Volunteerism for setting a high standard of volunteer service for other Scholars with her creation of the Instagram account @BlackAtAndoverHigh.
Resident Director Sandra Hilario earned the President’s Award for nurturing a beautiful chemistry of intense bonds where Scholars and staff raise each other up instinctively and passionately.
Treasurer Monalisa Shroff announced the creation of the Peter Jeton Scholarship in memory of the former ABC Treasurer, volunteer and donor. The scholarship will go to two Scholars each year to participate in enrichment that fosters their growth as leaders of the community.
President Gabby Nossiff announced the end to a successful recruiting season, resulting in a full house next year, with a total of nine Scholars.
Check out this video Scholar Gabby created to end the program, and watch the full celebration here.
