The Arlene and Joseph Meraux Charitable Foundation announced the Class of 2021 recipients of its annual scholarship program at a ceremony Monday evening. The charity awards 60 scholarships each year: 50 for academic achievement, four for artistic accomplishment, and six for Career Technical Education (CTE). To date, the Meraux Foundation has awarded some 960 scholarships to St. Bernard Parish public high school graduates.
“Supporting our young people’s growth and development into thriving adults is one of the most meaningful ways we are fulfilling our mission of improving the quality of life in St. Bernard Parish,” said Rita Gue, the president of the Meraux Foundation. “With each award, we are honoring my Aunt Arlene, who valued public education and volunteered much of her time at our local schools.”
“We are so proud of our graduates. They’ve faced extraordinary challenges this year due to the pandemic, but their perseverance and achievements fill us with an abundance of hope for the future,” she said.
Students receiving the Meraux Foundation scholarships are chosen by an independent committee designated by St. Bernard Parish Public Schools.
The Meraux Foundation champions education as a central component of its mission to improve the quality of life in St. Bernard Parish. In addition to the annual scholarship program, it supports numerous educational initiatives, including having donated the land for the Arlene Meraux Elementary School, sponsoring student events, partnering with Chalmette High School and Nunez Community College on a CTE program, presenting the Mississippi River Delta Institute, and partnering with the LSU AgCenter to produce AgMagic on the River, among others.
2021 Academic Scholarship Recipients: Adriana Badillo, Haleigh Bergeron, Kailey Bergeron, Daniela Bermudez, Dallas Blackmore, Gamaya Blanding, Chloe Bordelon, Breanna Bradley, Brooke Brandt, Kine Buie, Kayla-Tham Can, Tyler Carreras, Christian Carrion Zuniga, Melanie Corral, Alexander Cox, Paul Cusimano, Tassnim Dayoub, Brianna Dore’, Ashley Dourrieu, Anthony Edenfield, Leigh Erazo, Apollonia Espiritu, Le’Niece Fortenberry, Kennedi Fraise, Izabella Garcia, Caitlyn Gifford, Ethan Gilchrist, Bradley Gioia, Alyssa Hummel, Lawrence Jenkins, Jedelle Lafuente, Belle Landry, Angel Lee, Mercy Maldonado Lendos, Kayla Melerine, Scott Melerine, Maci Miller, Phuc Nguyen, Emma Nunez, Emma Powell, Alaina Riess, Madison Roig, Ariana Rojas, Dakota Sievers, Marco Spicuzza, Darlina Tran, Scott Truong, Alyssa Volante, Joy Wang, and Cayden Winslow.
2021 CTE Scholarship Recipients: Benjamin Allen, Jason Danna, Alondra Fermin, Emma Jacob, Leflore Press, and Kayleigh Richardson.
2021 Arts Scholarship Recipients: Alexanderia Bradley, Madelyn Guerra, Zaraiah Harvey, and Katie Tran.
