News 2016: James J. Karam Scholarships awarded to six area students

News 2016: James J. Karam Scholarships awarded to six area students
James J. Karam Scholarships awarded to six area students

Six area students will share $28,000 in scholarships from the James J. Karam Scholarship Fund.

Six area students will share $28,000 in scholarships from the James J. Karam Scholarship Fund.

Established in 2013, the endowed fund, named for renowned local businessman and former University of Massachusetts Trustee James Karam, provides competitive scholarships to students who are enrolled full-time at any UMass campus, hold a high GPA, demonstrate financial need and are permanent residents of the SouthCoast or Tiverton, RI.  

This year’s scholarship winners are:

  • Mia Arruda, Fall River - A 2016 graduate of BMC Durfee High School in Fall River, Mia will be attending UMass Dartmouth in the fall, and will be majoring in bioengineering.
  • Courtney Jenkins, Acushnet – A senior at UMass Lowell majoring in exercise physiology, Courtney has served as a student ambassador and is planning to pursue a graduate degree in physical therapy. Courtney is a graduate of New Bedford High School.
  • Rachel Luciano, Fall River -- A graduate of Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School, Rachel is a rising senior majoring in psychology at UMass Dartmouth.
  • Rachel Moussa, New Bedford -- A graduate of Bishop Stang High School, Rachel is an English major at UMass Amherst and will be a sophomore in the fall.
  • Austin Taylor, New Bedford -- A graduate of Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School, Austin will be a junior bioengineering major at UMass Dartmouth this fall, and hopes to pursue a career in the field of medicine.
  • Samantha Rollings, Tiverton, RI – A junior mechanical engineering major at UMass Dartmouth, Samantha is also a member of the women’s tennis team. Samantha is a graduate of Tiverton High School.

“Each one of these young people represents the hope and promise of our community,” Mr. Karam said. “These are talented, hardworking students who are poised to make a priceless contribution to society, and our family is honored to support their aspirations.”

James Karam is president and founder of First Bristol Corporation, which has developed retail shopping centers, hotels and office buildings throughout southern New England since 1975. A native of Fall River, he and his wife, Janis, reside in Tiverton, R.I. He graduated from UMass Dartmouth in 1971 with a bachelor's in business, and received an honorary Doctor of Business from UMass Dartmouth in 2001.

Mr. Karam served nearly 10 years on the UMass Board of Trustees, including four years as chairman. During his tenure on the Board, he championed the causes of quality and student affordability, and he played a leading role in overseeing the University’s multi-billion-dollar, system-wide building program. He also strongly advocated for the establishment of the UMass School of Law in Dartmouth, the state’s only public law school.