Upper Bay Ruritan Club provides scholarships
Published on October 12, 2023
CECILTON, Md.: Just as farmers aspire to be good stewards of the land they work, the Upper Bay Ruritan Club strives to be good stewards of the next generation of American citizens. For more than two decades, the Upper Bay Ruritan Club has provided scholarships for Bohemia Manor High School graduates who seek to realize their dreams of a better life through higher education.
The Upper Bay Ruritan Club, located in Cecilton, Md., provided eight Cecil College students with $1,000 scholarships this fall.
“It is very gratifying for us to have the opportunity to meet the students and help them fulfill their dreams,” said Upper Bay Ruritan Club President, Jeff Nickerson, who added that it is all about helping ‘these young people.’ “It is also such a pleasant experience to have them come out and have a meal with us and get to know them.”
The Upper Bay Ruritan scholarships have helped students earn degrees that will enrich their lives and help Cecil County thrive. These scholarship recipients are pursuing degrees in nursing, elementary education, psychology, and bioproduction.
Sarah Butkus is pursuing a degree in English with the goal of becoming a teacher. With an eye on attending Frostburg University, Salisbury University or Towson University, she has a strong belief that language skills are fundamental to success.
The other recipients of these scholarships include Kylie Drupieski, Nursing; Taylor Morales-Sanchez, Nursing; Aira Sanchez, Nursing; Elliana Triantafillos, Nursing; Anastasia Frisone, Psychology; Kaiden McCleary, General Studies; and Logan Szewczyk, Bioproduction.
Ruritan Clubs are service organizations located in small towns and rural areas. Each club surveys the needs of its community and then works to meet some of those needs. The organization aims to achieve “Fellowship, Goodwill, and Community Service.”
“The Upper Bay Ruritans have been such generous donors to the college for quite some time. You are making a tremendous impact in the lives of our students,” said Cecil College President, Dr. Mary Way Bolt.
Organizations like the Upper Bay Ruritan Club have enabled the Cecil College Foundation to provide more than $421,000 in student scholarships. The Upper Bay Ruritan Club has provided more than $100,000 in scholarships in the past two decades through fundraising events.