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Another record night: Bar raised again as over 50 MHS Class of 2025 seniors receive record $129,000 in scholarships from 75 sponsors
By Steve Freker
She may have made her mark these past four years in the classroom and on the volleyball court, but on this night, for a special Malden High senior, it was all about baseball — and another uncommon woman in MHS history.
Helen Manning excelled in the classroom in the mid-1940s at the height of World War II, earning all As on her report card in a time when it was not expected and seldom acknowledged for young women. A 1946 Malden High School graduate who yearned to continue learning after high school years, Helen never had the opportunity — like so many other women before and after her time — to go on and matriculate in college. It was an unfulfilled longing that kept her devotion to education at full flame when she became a mother and embraced the task of raising her son, Steve Somers.
“My mother made sure that I fully understood the value and importance of education and learning in my life from an early age,” Somers, a highly successful entrepreneur and philanthropist, told a receptive audience at the annual Senior Scholarship Night at Malden High School’s Jenkins Auditorium on May 27, “and my mother, Helen Manning, had this respect and love for education ingrained in her right here at Malden High School!”
Somers would go on to award $10,000 in a single scholarship award to a Malden High senior, representing the largest single scholarship award ever presented at MHS Senior Scholarship Night.
Somers drew some mild catcalls from the audience when he revealed that, while his mom grew up in Malden as an avid Boston Red Sox fan, he had been raised in the suburbs of New York City and was a New York Yankees backer. In his high school days. he emulated his Bronx Bomber heroes as a shifty, speedy ballplayer who took risks as he set a school record when he stole home plate 18 times as a senior.
After a diligent academic career, supervised and inspired by his mother, and an eventual degree in Chemistry, Somers became a highly successful business owner and entrepreneur in the world of fragrances. He founded Vigon International, Inc., in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. Under Mr. Somers’ leadership, the company became one of the industry’s fastest growing companies and the leading manufacturer of high-quality flavor and fragrance ingredients. He sold Vigon in 2021.
In living out a lifelong dream and following his love of baseball, he recently became an ownership partner with the Fenway Sports Group, owners of the Boston Red Sox. Who knew the one-time Yankees fan would switch to the other side. “Oh, yes, I am now a diehard Red Sox fan!” Somers assured the now cheering audience.
The Jenkins faithful continued to cheer and applaud when Somers announced that he and the Red Sox Foundation were awarding a first-ever, $10,000 scholarship to a female MHS graduate-to-be. “This scholarship is incredibly meaningful to me and my family,” Somers said. “My mother, Helen Manning, was a trailblazer — an A student at a time when it was far less common for women to be recognized for academic achievement.
“She was proud of her Malden roots, devoted to education and absolutely loved the Red Sox. The Somers Scholarship Fund is our way of honoring her legacy and giving back to the community that meant so much to her,” he added.
He then announced the winner of this year’s scholarship — Abigail Lee — who came to the stage to accept the scholarship award along with members of her family.
Somers Scholarship Fund eligibility criteria:
The Somers Scholarship will award a total of $10,000 annually to one or more graduating seniors from Malden High School who meet the following criteria:
—Female-identifying student graduating from Malden High School;
—Demonstrated academic achievement and financial need;
—Plans to enroll in a two- or four-year college, university or vocational program following graduation;
—Exemplifies the spirit of Helen Manning and the Boston Red Sox, including perseverance, inclusivity and school spirit.
Malden seniors receive over $129,000 in scholarships
The Somers Scholarship presentation kicked off a banner night for MHS seniors, as over $129,000 — a new Senior Scholarship Night record — was bestowed on just under 100 seniors. Malden Mayor and School Committee Chairperson Gary Christenson addressed the audience, bringing the greetings and congratulations of the City of Malden and the School Committee, and also presented an award, the Brendan and Elaine Duffy Scholarship, in the name of the late, beloved MHS Assistant Principal and his wife. Mayor Christenson presented a $1,000 scholarship to Aidan Brett, a three-sport standout this past four years, who is heading to Westfield State University to pursue a degree in Education.
Malden Superintendent of Schools Dr. Timothy Sippel also spoke to the audience and saluted the students, who graduated from high school five days later on June 1. “You have achieved so much in your years at Malden High School, and you have so much more ahead to accomplish in the future,” Dr. Sippel said.
Following is a listing of all of the scholarships, the recipients and the amount received on Senior Scholarship Night 2025:
The Honorable Jeffery Abber Memorial Scholarship: “BO” Stead Bogan, $1,000.
The Robert K. Adams Media Award: Tsering Shakya, $100, Emilee Tortorella Barbosa, $100.
The Sammy J. Aliberte Memorial Scholarship: Isabella Silva, $500.
Malden High School Alumni Association, Inc.: Nelly Bautista Matias, $1,000, Sara Mlila, $1,000.
In Memory of Dr. George Holland: Satvir Singh, $1,000.
The Sager Family Foundation: Henry Rodriguez Gouvea Filho, $1,000.
Friends and Family of Nancy Finkelstein: Aidan Brett, $1,000.
In Memory of Joanne Iovino: Hailey Tran, $1,000.
In Memory of Diane Lind: “Bo” Stead Bogan, $1,000.
Malden Police Patrolman’s Association: James Hyppolite, $1,000.
In Memory of Dr. Ralph Epstein–Class of ’57: Marie Cheng, $1,000.
In Memory of Roberta Mauriello: Christopher Longo, $1,000.
The Joseph G. Amelio Scholarship: Kristyauna Johnson, $150.
The Domenic A. Antonucci Memorial Scholarship Fund: Taisha Balan, $150.
Student Athletes of the Year: Hailey Tran, $1,000, “BO” Stead Bogan, $1,000.
The Gordie Barbrick/James A. Tringali Memorial Scholarship: “BO” Stead Bogan, $250.
The Rose Florence Belzarine Foundation: Ashley Benfield, $1,500, Daniela Licona-Cruz, $1,500, Thalia Louigene, $1,500, Natalie Keating, $1,500, Nayomi Santos, $1,500, Sean Retotal, $1,500, James Hyppolite, $1,500, Johnson Huynh, $1,500, Aidan Brett, $1,500, Nayomi Santos, $1,500, Ashley Benfield, $1,500.
The John Benotti Memorial Scholarship: John Flores, $500.
Barry Black Memorial Scholarship: Dante Federico, $1,000.
Arthur & Margaret Boyle Scholarship: Wyatt Dessert, $250.
The Clarke R. Brookes Scholarship: Wyatt Dessert, $200.
The Brunelli Family Scholarship: Thuy Duong “Sarah” Pham, $200.
The Michael J. Byrne Leadership Scholarships: Jeslyn San, $1,000, Slade Harding, $1,000.
Class of 1982–Arlene Goldstein Ceppetelli Scholarship: “BO” Stead Bogan, $1,000.
The Thomas F. Cosgrove Memorial Scholarship Fund: Olivia Ivy, $150.
Malden Federal Credit Union Scholarship Award: Satvir Singh, $500.
The Frankie DeCandia Memorial Scholarship: Jayden Fernezan, $500, Matteo Tah, $500, Stephanie Wong, $500.
The Donna Froio DeLena Memorial Scholarship: Manal AbouKhalil, $1,000, Addison McWayne, $1,000, Sean Retotal, $1,000.
The Thomas J. DeVincentis Memorial Scholarship: Makenzie Jenkins, $1,000, Cheryl Pidakala, $1,000, “BO” Stead Bogan, $1,000, Hailey Tran, $1,000.
Danny Dorazio Memorial Scholarship: Xavier Coulanges-Blaise, $1,000.
The Brendan & Elaine Duffy Collegiate Scholarship: Aidan Brett, $1,000.
James Richard Durlin Memorial Scholarship: James Hyppolite, $500.
East Cambridge Savings Bank Scholarship: Christopher Da Silva Breguez, $1,500, Vanessa Portillo Ramos, $1,500.
The Donald Favorat Scholarship: Megyn Ta, $100.
Councillor Eileen M. Fay Memorial Scholarship: Valentina Hernandez Lemus, $500, Thalia Louigene, $500.
Class of 1986–Lynn Murphy Finn Scholarship: “BO” Stead Bogan, $1,000.
The Paul D. Finn Memorial Scholarship–Class of ’91: Ashley Benfield, $1000, James Hyppolite, $1,000.
Malden Firefighters–Local 902 Scholarship: Amber Benfield, $500, Ashley Benfield, $500, Chuoxi “Angela” Hu, $500.
First Church in Malden Congregational: Ollie Dodge, $2,500, Ashley Santos, $2,500, Kaitlyn Jabrani-Burr, $2,500, Katarina Son, $2,500.
Forestdale School P.T.O. Scholarship: Stanley Jiang, $400, Sophie LeBlanc, $400, Ilyes Ouldsaada, $400.
Lisa Friesner Spirit Award: Isabella Truong, $1,500.
The James F. Gaffey Scholarship: Amber Benfield, $500.
The Carl Gordon Garland Memorial Scholarship: Kevin Chen, $500, Thuy Duong “Sarah” Pham, $500.
Alexander Gentile Memorial Scholarship: Zeina Khatib, $1,000, Jeslyn San, $1,000.
The Andrea Giannattasio Memorial Scholarship Fund: Abigail Lee, $500, Hailey Tran, $500, Kimberly Tropnas, $500.
Gary Gillan Memorial Scholarship: Isabelle Ta, $2,000.
The Major John Patrick “Pat” Gillen, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Award: Adriana Arotoma Inca, $300.
Malden Grange #354 Patrons of Husbandry: Amber Benfield, $500.
George A. Hanna, Jr. Memorial Scholarship: Helen Xie, $500.
Honey Dew Donut Scholarship: Isabelle Tan, $500.
Doris and Joseph Kelly Memorial Scholarship: Christina Anasthal, $100.
For The Kids Foundation Scholarship: Zeina Khatib, $1,000, Megyn Ta, $1,000.
Friends of Kevin Kilbride Scholarship: “BO” Stead Bogan, $600.
The Thomas King Athletic Scholarship: Makenzie Jenkins, $500, Wyatt Dessert, $500.
Kiwanis Club Scholarships: Satvir Singh, $1,000, “BO” Stead Bogan, $1,000.
The Ernst F. Larochel Scholarship: Christopher MacDonald, $2,500.
The Ralph Lindstrom Memorial Scholarship: Yanni Genene, $100.
Lions Club Scholarship: Serenity Burow, $500, John Flores, $500.
Live Like Becca Scholarship: Valentina Hernandez Lemus, $1,000, Ivana Marinkovic, $1,000, Isabella Silva, $1,000.
The Lord Family Scholarship: Bradley Louigene, $100.
The Robert K. Love Memorial Scholarship: Kimberlee Smith, $1,000.
Michael Luu Memorial Scholarship: Johnson Huynh, $200.
Malden Public Schools Educational Scholarships: Saniah Charles, $750, Theresa Jiang, $750, Melcky Lafortune, $750, Marc Naceus, $750.
Malden Education Association (MEA) Louise DeMeo Scholarships: Olivia Ivy, $100, Cadence “Lumi” Leshane, $100
MEA–Donald E. Brunelli, Jr. Scholarship: Hailey Tran, $500.
The Cora Niedner Scholarship: Daisy Castillo, $300.
The Thomas F. O’Donnell Scholarship Fund: “BO” Stead Bogan, $500.
Old & New of Malden Scholarships: Marie Cheng, $500, Sabrina Kharkhach, $500.
The Sandra O’Neill Scholarship Award: Karuna Shrestha, $500.
The Joseph “Joey” Pisapia Scholarship: Dulmiah Amiscar, $150.
The Jacob Ruderman Memorial Scholarship Fund: Kristyauna Johnson, $100.
The Saint Rocco’s Fraternal Association of Malden Scholarship: Dante Federico, $1,000.
The Anthony Sestito Memorial Scholarship: Matteo Tah, $100.
The Barbara E. Daniels Sherman Memorial Scholarship: Kristyauna Johnson, $1,000.
The Russell Smith Scholarship Award–Class of 1972: Marie Cheng, $400, James Hyppolite, $400.
Dr. Louis Solomon Memorial Scholarship: Gloria Brown, $100.
The Somer Scholarship Fund–Awarded by the Red Sox Foundation: Abigail Lee, $10,000.
The Carmela Spadafora Memorial Scholarship: Emily Mei, $200.
The Randal S. Sprague Scholarship Fund: Josue Casillas, $100.
The Jacqueline M. Starr Scholarship: Megyn Ta, $750, Katarina Son, $750.
The Muriel Swimm First Baptist Church Scholarship: “BO” Stead Bogan, $1,000.
The Arthur M. Weiner Scholarship: James Zhou, $220.
The Pamela Perry Wickwire Scholarship Fund: Emma Strano, $3,000.
Malden Zonta Club: Thalia Louigene, $750, Kimberly Tropnas, $750.
