2 Medway & 2 Framingham Students Receive Stephanie Mercandetti Memorial Scholarships

The following is a press release

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FRAMINGHAM – Four high school students in the class of 2020 have been selected as the first recipients of college scholarships in memory of Stephanie Mercandetti, former member of the Framingham Planning Board and Director of Economic Development for the Town of Medway

From the Class of 2020, two students from Framingham High School and two students from Medway High School will each receive $500 to use towards college tuition.

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The winners of the scholarships are:

• Kaitlyn Calnan, Medway High School
• Mira Donaldson, Framingham High School
• Jack Landsiedel, Framingham High School
• Sam McKeown, Medway High School

Initially up to three scholarships were to be awarded to high school seniors
planning to study public policy, planning or government studies. “That changed when the applications came in.” said Bob Berman, Chair of the Committee. “Committee members could see from the essays that four of the applicants’ values, dedication and drive were closely aligned with Stephanie’s. Additional donations were made so that each of those four applicants could be awarded a scholarship.”

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The scholarship application process was available to Seniors from Framingham High School, Keefe Regional Vocational Technical School and Medway High School who will be pursuing a degree in public policy or government studies, and who plan to make a career in government or public service.

Students submitted applications and essays which were brought to the
committee for evaluation without any of their personally identifiable information.

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“We wanted to evaluate each applicant based solely on how closely their goals, experiences and values were aligned with Stephanie’s virtues,” said Committee Chair Berman.

“Stephanie Mercandetti was a talented, successful Municipal Planner and
Economic Development Director. She was elected to the Framingham Planning Board and also served as the Board’s Chair. She had worked as the Economic Development Director and Grants Officer for the Town of Walpole and was The Economic Development Director in the Town of Medway at the time of her death. Earlier in her career she worked for Governor Michael Dukakis and Senator David Magnani.

Magnani spoke at the ceremony and said that In each role “Stephanie
was greatly respected for her knowledge, professionalism, and the ability to bring people together to reach a productive consensus.

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Mercandetti passed away January 14, 2018 at the young age of 42 after a battle with cancer.

The committee held a virtual award ceremony Thursday, 6/19/20 for the
students and their families, and friends. Ms. Mercandetti’s mother, sister and nephew participated in the event. Berman said “These students are driven, accomplished and motivated to make a difference. They share Stephanie’s values and we look forward to the positive impact they will have.”

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