STCC architecture and building technology student awarded John Richard DeMarco Jr. Scholarship

From left: Architecture and Building Technology Department Chair Warren Hall, Vice President of Student and Multicultural Affairs Kamari Collins, Jessica D. Perella, STCC President John B. Cook, and Joan DeMarco.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. –  A Springfield Technical Community College Architecture and Building Technology student from Holyoke is this year’s 2018 John Richard DeMarco Jr. Scholarship winner.

Joan DeMarco, of Suffield, Conn., presented the $300 scholarship to Jessica Perella based on her commitment to furthering her education.

Perella plans to graduate with her associate degree in May and enroll in the Sustainable Community Development program at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Her goal is to earn her bachelor's and then pursue a master’s degree in Regional Planning at UMass.

Perella, a mother of four small children, said it was exhilarating and exciting to win the scholarship.

“I feel accomplished and proud,” she said. “I feel motivated to continue, because I have a will to help people.”

The scholarship money will go toward books, supplies and transportation to UMass, Perella said.

Perella accepted the scholarship on March 27 during a ceremony attended by DeMarco, Architecture and Building Technology Department Chair Warren Hall, STCC President John B. Cook and Vice President of Student and Multicultural Affairs Kamari Collins.

Cook congratulated Perella for winning the scholarship and thanked DeMarco for supporting students for more than 30 years.

The scholarship, offered by the DeMarco family in memory of John Richard DeMarco Jr., is open to all students attending STCC. One student receives the scholarship each spring semester.

Students interested in the DeMarco scholarship are asked to write about the importance of an associate degree, their goals, which may include transferring to a four-year college or university, what academic area they are studying and why the scholarship would assist them in their academic plans.

To learn more about STCC’s Architecture and Building Technology program, please visit www.stcc.edu/explore/programs/arbt.as or call Admissions at (413) 755-3333. Apply online by visiting www.stcc.edu/apply.  

About Springfield Technical Community College

Founded in 1967 and located on 35 acres of the Springfield Armory National Historic Site, STCC is a major resource for the economic vitality of Western Massachusetts. As the only technical community college in Massachusetts, STCC, a designated Hispanic Serving Institution and an Achieving the Dream Leader College, offers a variety of career programs unequalled in the state. STCC’s highly regarded transfer programs in business, engineering, liberal arts, science and technology continue to provide the most economical options for students pursuing a four-year degree. With an annual enrollment of more than 7,700 day, evening, weekend and online students, STCC is a vibrant campus rich in diversity.

For more information about STCC, visit www.stcc.edu. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter (@S_T_C_C).

MEDIA CONTACT:

Jim Danko, (413) 755-4812, jdanko@stcc.edu

• See All News