Granite Edvance awards $500,000 in scholarships to NH students
Concord, NH – Granite Edvance, a NH nonprofit dedicated to helping students discover and achieve their education and career goals, is pleased to announce the winners of its 2024 scholarship. This year, 107 NH college students will receive a total of $500,000 in scholarships, Granite Edvance’s largest award yet. Students of all ages and backgrounds, including 37 first-generation students and 12 community college students, will receive awards of $2,500 or $5,000.
“We are thrilled to award a record amount of scholarship money this year to a record number of NH students, as we continue to work to deepen our public service impact in the state,” said Granite Edvance President and CEO Christiana Thornton.
Granite Edvance, formerly known as the New Hampshire Higher Education Assistance Foundation (NHHEAF) Network, has provided scholarships to hundreds of NH college students since the scholarship program began in 2005. The scholarship is one of the ways the organization, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, reinvests its funds to support NH students.
This year, for the first time, first-year undergraduate college students and students in Title-IV eligible trade schools were eligible to apply for the scholarship. Scholarships were awarded in five categories: First-Year and Certificate/Trade Students, Community Service, Academic Excellence, Leadership, and Opportunity.
Many of the scholarship winners have overcome significant hurdles in pursuing their postsecondary goals. Samuel Assantha, an Opportunity Scholarship winner from Manchester, came to the United States from the Democratic Republic of Congo at a young age and became the first in his family to attend college. “This was more than a personal achievement, but a dream passed on from our parents hoping for a better life for their children,” he wrote in his application essay. “Attending college is a testament to my family’s resilience and determination.”
“We are honored to support NH students through these scholarships,” Thornton said. “Thank you to all those who shared their stories with us, and congratulations to this year’s winners.”
Here are the 2024 Granite Edvance Scholarship winners:
| Isabella Adams | Lebanon |
| Sandy Andrews | Nashua |
| Esteban Arango Lopez | Manchester |
| Liv Arvidson | Tilton |
| Yaren Asker | Keene |
| Samuel Assantha | Manchester |
| Monica Barger | Webster |
| Emily Barrett | Hudson |
| Jenna Bean | Canaan |
| Nadia Belhassad | Rochester |
| Brianna Bodner | Weare |
| Skyler Boudreau | Franklin |
| Isabel Braley | Alexandria |
| Gianna Brignano | Newmarket |
| Mia Brown | Keene |
| Raegan Burt | Claremont |
| Albert Candra | Somersworth |
| Zhafirah Candra | Somersworth |
| Grace Cardin | Nashua |
| Adrianna Cartier | Madison |
| Payton Cavanaugh | Troy |
| Aiden Ciminesi | Bow |
| Aubrie Connelly | Merrimack |
| Isadora Crane | Wilton |
| Rosemay Crooker | Francestown |
| Sophia Cutuli | Londonderry |
| Zander Darrah-Easter | Penacook |
| Taylor Davis | Loudon |
| Hope Duncan | Dover |
| Isabella Duran | Wolfeboro |
| Matthew Eagan | Claremont |
| Brigid England | Bow |
| John Federico | Durham |
| Joy Foreman | Canterbury |
| Jayda Garcia | Woodsville |
| Olivia Giri | Loudon |
| Coral Gouin | Portsmouth |
| Alison Grosky | Rochester |
| Sarah Guillemette | Weare |
| Laila Gustafson | Manchester |
| Emily Hamilton | Durham |
| Kristine Hayes | Deerfield |
| Mikayla Johnson | Jaffrey |
| Matthew B. Jolin | Ashland |
| Christina Juris | Nashua |
| Sidrah Khan | Concord |
| Hayden Kidder | Andover |
| Morgan Koskela | Barrington |
| Adam Krasnecki | Canterbury |
| Jennifer Kulick | Goffstown |
| Ethan Lamb | Springfield |
| Tara Lamper | Alton |
| Chance LeClerc | Milton |
| Lauren MacDonald | Tilton |
| Timothy MacKay | Rindge |
| Eleora McCay | Bedford |
| Heather McCurdy | Manchester |
| Deanna McGuire | Nottingham |
| Grace McHugh | Concord |
| Jason McIntosh, Jr. | Goffstown |
| Brynna Meeker | Contoocook |
| Virginia Miloro | Seabrook |
| Kyla Mitchell | Manchester |
| Misty Morang | Center Ossipee |
| Michela Morris | Derry |
| Ivy Nguyen | Somersworth |
| Aavarika Niroula | Lebanon |
| Joyce Nishimwe | Concord |
| Riley Nolan | Newmarket |
| Brianna Ohlund | Manchester |
| Taoighan Othot | New Boston |
| Emily Overhulser | Londonderry |
| Bryn Pearson | Colebrook |
| Christian Petry | Plaistow |
| Ashley Pineau | Hooksett |
| Paige Potts | Manchester |
| Elizabeth Pyle | Rochester |
| Riley Razzaboni | Nashua |
| Rosella Rentas-Ubeda | Plymouth |
| Erika Reyes Ortiz | Manchester |
| Loren Robidas | Manchester |
| Kylie Rogers | Orange |
| Brody Rollins | Laconia |
| Vanessa Rose | Salem |
| Tory Rudolph | Franklin |
| Lyra Saults | Bristol |
| Michael Schoff | Portsmouth |
| Sophia Scribner | Nashua |
| Kayla Serafin | Exeter |
| Melissa Shortt | Barrington |
| Bennett Shriver | Walpole |
| Kylie Signore | Keene |
| Ford Simano | Bradford |
| Mario Slaybe | Londonderry |
| Ashlyn Smith | Dover |
| Paige Smith | Haverhill |
| Yasmin Soares | Nashua |
| Alexis Spradling | Manchester |
| Caitlin Stapleton | Claremont |
| Emory Stevens | Derry |
| Shawna Tibbetts | Newport |
| MaryRose Wainaina | Concord |
| Joshua Warner | Barrington |
| Isabella Washburn | Concord |
| Macy Welsch | Franklin |
| Jennalyn Williamson | Rochester |
| Etta Wobber | Sandwich |
About Granite Edvance
Granite Edvance (formerly the New Hampshire Higher Education Assistance Foundation, or the NHHEAF Network) supports New Hampshire students and their families through free career and higher-education counseling and resources, as well as funding assistance including scholarships and a private student loan. As a 501 (c) (3), Granite Edvance reinvests its earnings into the state as part of a commitment to NH students of all ages and backgrounds. Established in 1962, the organization rebranded as Granite Edvance in November 2023.
For more information, visit GraniteEdvance.org. To schedule an interview, contact Sarah Earle at 603-406-0596 or email searle@graniteedvance.org.