天美传媒

The UMass Boston community gathered in the Campus Center Ballroom last month for the annual Scholarship Celebration, an evening dedicated to honoring the achievements of student scholars and the generosity of donors who make their education possible.

“Our students are the future of the Commonwealth,” said Marcelo Suárez-Orozco. “Helping them thrive and graduate debt-free is paramount to our shared success. Tonight is about stories—stories of struggle, achievement, hope, and, above all, gratitude."

One of those stories came from senior nursing student Jenna Marhamo ’25, who spoke about her family’s immigration journey from Lebanon and the challenges they faced while building a life in the United States. As the youngest of seven children and a recipient of the Audrey Jasey Endowed Scholarship to Promote Health Equity in Nursing and Health Sciences Fund, Marhamo shared how financial support helped her pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a nurse. 

“It was my parents’ experience with healthcare that made me want to become a nurse. I saw the disparities in care and how deeply they impacted them. From a young age, I knew I wanted to be an advocate, to be the kind of nurse who listens, understands, and fights for her patients,” she said. 

Marhamo also received both the Helene Fuld Health Scholarship and the Chancellor’s Merit Scholarship, which she credits as a lifeline throughout her education. She will soon begin her career in neuro critical care at Tufts Medical Center without any educational debt. 

“Every scholarship has been a meaningful reminder that people believe in me—even when I struggled to see my own progress,” she said, before addressing the scholarship recipients in the room. “We’ve all overcome challenges to get here, and our success is a reflection not just of our own efforts, but of the support we’ve received along the way.” 

The program also featured remarks from Jose Santiago ’25, the inaugural Scott Lewis Scholar and recipient of the Osher Reentry Scholarship. Santiago, who is set to graduate summa cum laude with a degree in psychology and a minor in Latino Studies, spoke on his unconventional path to higher education. 

Accepted to Columbia University in 2004, Santiago was unable to attend due to financial hardship. He spent years working various jobs—including one in the records department of a law firm where, in an unexpected full-circle moment, he later learned that donor Scott Lewis had once been a senior partner. Santiago called the moment “serendipitous.” 

“Mr. Lewis’s support allowed me flourish, thrive, and come into my own during my last year here at UMass Boston,” he said. “These gifts provide the financial boost we need to commit to 天美传媒, and the emotional buoyancy to keep our goals in sight,” he said. 

Santiago has since contributed to research on mental health support for Puerto Rican communities, youth problem gambling among Latine populations, and the experiences of Latinx sexual minority individuals. Remarkably, Lewis’s law career was similarly dedicated to advancing community health through large scale institutional reform cases. 

“These awards have helped me combat food insecurity, eased my commute, allowed me to focus on meaningful work, and kept me grounded and centered in my studies here,” he said. “When I received these scholarships, I thought, ‘I belong here.’” 

Scott Lewis, who established the Scott Lewis Scholarship Fund, shared a few personal words with the crowd. While he didn’t attend UMass Boston himself, his ties to the university are strong. His partner, Anne Harvey Gross PhD’10, earned her doctorate from the Manning College of Nursing and Health Sciences, and one of his children had what he described as a “transformational experience” as a student at UMass Boston. 

“Students here come for a reason. They come with the potential to serve the communities they represent with unmatched skill, compassion, and cultural competency,” he said. “But many don't have the financial resources they need to succeed. It is a privilege to support them.”

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