The Woman’s Club of St. Michaels recently presented scholarship awards to three graduates of St. Michaels High School (SMHS), Victoria Bately, Matthew Fisher and Haley Sadler, at the Club’s annual luncheon at the Oaks in Royal Oak.
Victoria Bately, valedictorian of her class, will attend the University of Maryland in the Integrated Life Science honors program which requires 25 hours of community service and 240 hours of project research. The love of medicine is in her blood, her mother is the school nurse at Tilghman Elementary School and Victoria has been interning at the University of Maryland Shore Medical Hospital in the emergency department in both Easton and Chestertown. Victoria says she loves the constant challenge of the emergency department. Victoria also founded the biomedical engineering society at SMHS which is one of only nine in the country.
Matthew Fisher, participated in the ACE Mentoring program throughout his high school career and also led the group project for SMHS in his senior year. The ACE program, founded by nationally recognized structural engineer Charlie Thornton, exposes students to architecture, construction and engineering. Through the ACE program, Matthew completed an internship program with Rauch Inc. which confirmed his interest in civil engineering. Matthew will major in civil engineering at Chesapeake College and the University of Maryland. Matthew said JR Burkhardt, SMHS’school counselor, was an invaluable resource helping him sort out the process of applying to colleges and applying for scholarships.
Haley Sadler, the first in her family to attend college, is off to Virginia Wesleyan University in the honors program for forensic accounting where she will also be playing softball for the number one team in Division 3. As a star softball pitcher Haley was recruited by Virginia Wesleyan in her sophomore year of high school. Haley, a strong math student decided, to put her math skills to use and study forensic accounting after learning of the $100,000 stolen from the Watermen’s Association.
Two returning scholarship winners attended the luncheon as well. Rebecca Bibeau, from the class of 2018 was to go to Towson University but due to COVID attended Chesapeake University where she received an Associates Degree. Rebecca will now be continuing her education in pursuit of a BA in graphic arts at Salisbury University. Sincere Taylor’s mother attended in Sincere’s place as Sincere had wisdom teeth removed the day before. Sincere (SMHS class of 2020) is in pre-med at Stevenson College and is also on the Dean’s List.
The Woman’s Club is excited to follow their futures and is proud to contribute to the cost of furthering the education of these exceptional students.
Through its annual scholarship to a St. Michaels High School senior, the Woman’s Club of St. Michaels has been dedicated to helping young people who have demonstrated academic excellence and service to the community, achieve their promise and potential. This scholarship award is the major philanthropic outreach of the club.
The first scholarship award was granted in 1977. The scholarship may be given to an applicant planning to attend a two-year or four- year college or a vocational or technology school. In the last forty years, the Woman’s Club of St. Michaels has awarded more than $200,000 to deserving St Michaels High School students.
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