TAUNTON, MASSACHUSETTS: Mechanics Cooperative Bank is proud to announce Casey Arruda of Somerset Berkley Regional High School, Oeghan Blanchard of Bristol Plymouth Regional Technical High School, Alexander Bejarano of Silver Lake Regional High School, Sydney Borrello of Dighton-Rehoboth Reigional High School, Brannagh O’Donnell of Apponequet Regional High School, and Jacob Machado of Joseph Case High School as the recipients of the 2018 Mechanics Cooperative Bank Scholarship Awards! The Mechanics Cooperative Bank scholarship program was created to support local students who excelled in academics, athletics and community service, to help toward their pursuit for higher education.
Casey Arruda recently graduated from Somerset Berkley Regional High School as a member of the National Honors Society where he excelled in academics and was a member of the Robotics Club and School Newspaper. Casey is also the Co-Founder and Co-President of the “We Stand Strong” Foundation which helps people and communities suffering from natural disasters and tragedies. He will be using his passion for helping others by majoring in Biology with an emphasis on Global Public Health when he attends Clark University in the fall.
Oeghan Blanchard graduated from Bristol Plymouth Regional Technical School where he not only excelled academically but as well as in the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) technical program. He was a member and team captain of the school Golf Team. Oeghan is the recipient of the “School On Wheels – Volunteer of the Year Award”. He will be attending St. Michael’s College where he will use his knowledge of HVAC to pursuit a degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Alexander Bejarano recently graduated from Silver Lake’ Regional High School where he excelled academically and athletically. In addition to being a member of the National Honors Society, he was the captain of the Varsity Baseball team as well as the Co-Captain of the Varsity Basketball team. Outside of school he volunteer for the Boston Food Bank organizing and distributing donations, as well as with Our Lady of the Lake Church as a religious education volunteer. Alexander will be attending Stonehill College in the fall where he plans to focus on both Biology and Spanish.
Sydney Borrello of North Dighton recently graduated from Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School. In addition to being a member of the National Honors Society and a Varsity Lacrosse player, Sydney also participated in Student Government, Best Buddies, Prom Committee, DECA, and was editor of the Year Book Committee. She will be attending Worcester Polytechnic Institute where she will be majoring in Biomedical Engineering.
Brannagh O’Donnell graduated from Apponequet Regional High School where she placed in the top 10% of her class and was a member of the National Honor Society. She was a long distance runner for the Winter Track Team as well as a bagpipe player for the Worcester Kiltie Pipe Band. Her musical skills took her around the globe where she competed in solo bagpipe and band competitions. She will be attending Trinity Western University where she will major in Business with a concentration on Human Resources.
Jacob Machado was the sixth and final recipient of the 2018 Mechanics Cooperative Bank Scholarship award. As a graduate of Joseph Case High School in Swansea, Jacob was active in athletics where he played both Baseball and Golf. At a young age, Jacob already has an impressive golf career! He was team captain, announced as MVP and was also named all-star for both junior and senior year. Jacob will be attending the University of Rhode Island where he will major in Business. This specific scholarship earned by Alex was given in memory of Raymond H. Bibeau, President and CEO of Lafayette Federal Savings Bank for over 30 years. This annual scholarship was created as a result of the merger between Lafayette and Mechanics Cooperative Bank and honors Mr. Bibeau’s lifelong commitment to education and support of our local community.
President and CEO of Mechanics Cooperative Bank Joseph T. Baptista Jr. said “students like Casey, Oeghan, Alex, Sydney, Brannagh, and Jake are great examples of why we award these scholarships annually. Their hard work and dedication to their education, community, and future accomplishments are all values we value at Mechanics Cooperative Bank. We are proud of their impressive high school careers and wish them continued success as they enter the next phase of their education – we are positive these students will go on and do wonderful things in this world”
With total assets of $580 million, Mechanics Cooperative Bank offers a wide variety of personal and business deposit and loan products. As a Massachusetts co-operative bank, 100% of customers’ deposits are always fully insured. Established in 1877, Mechanics Cooperative Bank is Massachusetts’ second-oldest co-operative bank with eight conveniently located branches in Bridgewater, Taunton, North Dighton, Somerset, Swansea, Fall River and Westport. For more information, call 1-888-MECHANICS (632-4264) or visit Mechanics-Coop.com. Member FDIC. Member SIF. Equal Housing Lender.
Photo Caption:
The Mechanics Cooperative Bank scholarships were created to support local students who excelled in academics, athletics and community service, toward their pursuit for higher education. The recipients of the 2018 Mechanics Cooperative Bank Scholarship Awards are (from left), Jacob Machado of Joseph Case High School; Brannagh O’Donnell of Apponequet Regional High School; Veronica Medeiros, Branch Manager of Mechanics Cooperative Bank’s Fall River branch; Oeghan Blanchard graduated from Bristol Plymouth Regional Technical School; Sydney Borrello of Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School; Alexander Bejarano of Silver Lake’ Regional High School; and Casey Arruda recently graduated from Somerset Berkley Regional High School.
