ATTENDEES at the Devlin Medical Scholarship awards presentation included (front row, l to r): scholarship recipient Mitchell Kennedy, Trustee Peter Devlin, scholarship recipients: Elizabeth Gomez, Delia Perillo, Erin Brown and Kaeleigh Arington; (back row, l to r): Trustees Dr. Robert Commito, Maureen Soley, Machelle DeFlumeri, Jo Devlin, Bernie Warren, Dr. Laura Carman, Dr. Amy Devlin, Brian Devlin and Alex Devlin. Scholarship recipients Kate Bidgood and Emily Dwyer were absent. (Nancy Bates Dapkiewicz Photo)
READING — On Thursday, July 11, 2024, the trustees of the Dr. Thomas P. and Edwina H. Devlin Medical Scholarship Fund awarded their 2024-2025 scholarships to four nursing students and three medical students. The awards ceremony was held at the Mandarin Restaurant in Reading.
Kaeleigh Arington of North Reading is entering her senior year at Rivier University in Nashua, NH. She has been a volunteer in Nashua’s PAL after school program for children living in poverty, and is an avid softball player, using her talents to help teach children with special needs how to play baseball. She is presently in a summer internship at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in the Center for Child Development. She is seeking to become a registered nurse, possibly working as a nurse in a pediatric cardiac or a neonatal ICU. This is Kaeleigh’s fourth Devlin Scholarship.
Kate Bidgood is from Melrose, and is entering her first year at the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine in Burlington, VT. She holds an undergraduate degree from Tufts University, where she majored in Biology. From her earliest scientific experiment in 1st grade using food coloring to visualize water vacuoles in celery sticks, straight through to her honors senior thesis in cellular abnormalities in response to DNA damage and repetitive DNA sequences, she has always had a thirst for research and medicine. Kate has previously worked as a Patient Care Technician at Melrose-Wakefield Hospital and a Medical Assistant at an outpatient clinic of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She is excited by the continuous advancement of medicine. When she has time, she is a passionate watercolor and acrylic painter. This is Kate’s first Devlin Scholarship.
Erin Brown of Stoneham is entering her senior year at Salve Regina University in Newport, RI. In the upcoming year, she will be the president of the Student Nursing Organization which she represented at a national conference in Orlando, Florida this past spring. She has participated in a variety of school activities, including a project involving pet therapy to mitigate stress and lower blood pressure. Erin values the holistic approach of healthcare. This is Erin’s third Devlin Scholarship.
Emily Dwyer is from North Reading, has a bachelor of science degree from the University of Maine and a bachelor of science degree in Nursing from Endicott College in Beverly. She is entering her second semester at Endicott College for a Master of Science degree in Nursing with a concentration in Family Nurse Practitioner. She is currently a registered nurse in the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center’s Medical Surgical Unit and has previously worked in their Labor and Delivery Unit. Emily looks forward to practicing in an outpatient family medicine setting upon completion of her degree. This is Emily’s third Devlin Scholarship.
Elizabeth Gomez of Reading, is currently enrolled at the UMass Chan Medical School Graduate School of Nursing in Worcester. Elizabeth earned an undergraduate degree from Salem State University and a graduate degree from the Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions. Elizabeth has practiced as a Family Nurse Practitioner for the past nine years and is now pursuing a Post-Graduate Certificate in Psychiatric Mental Health for Nurse Practitioners, intending to provide specialized mental healthcare particularly to the Spanish speaking community, she enjoys yoga, gardening, and salsa dancing. This is Elizabeth’s first Devlin Scholarship.
Mitchell Kennedy of Wakefield, is entering his third year at UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester. He holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame. He is co-president of the UMass chapter of Best Buddies, is a hospice volunteer, and has been involved in wilderness medicine. Mitchell is a Second Lieutenant in the Medical Command Unit of the Massachusetts Army National Guard and intends to serve as a physician in the Army upon completion of his studies. This is Mitchell’s third Devlin Scholarship.
Delia Perillo of Stoneham, is entering her second year at UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester. Delia earned an undergraduate degree in neuroscience from the University of Michigan. In her first year of medical school, she worked on research projects that focused on improving patient outcomes, especially the effectiveness of preventing infection and the overall benefits of at home care programs. Valuing leadership qualities, she has taken on mentoring local college students applying to medical school, and leading an elective class about sports medicine. This is Delia’s second Devlin Scholarship.
Congratulations to all and the trustees wish them a challenging and successful year.
In the 64 years since its founding, the trustees have awarded 383 scholarships to 198 students attending 70 different schools in 18 states and Canada.
The following is a list of those in whose memory contributions were made and which, in, part, made this year’s awards possible: Brenda H. Carta; Andy Devlin; John, Estelle, Jack and Gene Devlin; and Estelle Mary McDonough.
Contributions are gratefully accepted and may be made in the form of a general donation, a memorial gift, or in honor of any special event. For more information visit the website at www.devlinmedicalscholarship.org.
Applications are accepted from March to June. Qualified candidates must be accepted at an accredited medical or nursing school seeking an M.D., D.O., P.A, N.P, or R.N. degree. Applications are not accepted from students in pre-med or other health-related fields or undergraduate programs. Candidates must be residents of Melrose, North Reading, Reading, Stoneham, Wakefield, Wilmington, Winchester, or Woburn.
For further information or to obtain an application visit the website.
For questions send an email to devlinscholarship@gmail.com or call 617-592-4448.
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Attending the Devlin Medical Scholarship awards presentation were front row (l to r): Award Recipient Mitchell Kennedy, Trustee Peter Devlin, Award Recipients: Elizabeth Gomez, Delia Perillo, Erin Brown, and Kaeleigh Arington; back row (l to r) Trustees Dr. Robert Commito, Maureen Soley, Machelle DeFlumeri, Jo Devlin, Bernie Warren, Dr Laura Carman, Dr. Amy Devlin, Brian Devlin, and Alex Devlin. (Absent were scholarship recipients Kate Bidgood and Emily Dwyer). (Nancy Bates Dapkiewicz Photo)
