Campbell Scholarship awardees announced

UMass Boston Krystle Campbell Scholarship awardees Dawn DeRossette (left) and Scarlette Nord, with UMass Boston Interim Chancellor Barry Mills
Image by Julia Zhogina

Interim Chancellor Barry Mills last week announced that the University of Massachusetts Boston will give $5,000 Krystle Campbell Scholarships to two women majoring in management at the university.

In a noontime ceremony in Krystle’s hometown of Medford, the UMass Boston Run for Krystle Marathon Team joined Chancellor Mills to present ceremonial checks to Scarlette Nord (Class of 2020) of Cambridge and Dawn DeRossette (fall 2018) of Stoughton.

“Through the Krystle Campbell Scholarship Fund, we are supporting students who like Krystle are pursuing a career in management,” Mills said. “I have no doubt that Krystle would be proud that a scholarship was founded in her name to help others and perpetuate her loving and caring nature.”
Each year, the Campbell scholarship committee awards $5,000 scholarships to two undergraduate business students at UMass Boston in honor of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing victim and UMass Boston alumna. Students selected stand out among their peers for their academic excellence and involvement in the university and community.

“We want not only to honor Krystle Campbell but also to fund and invest in her memory through this scholarship,” said scholarship founder Richard Campbell, a UMass Boston alum, former UMass trustee, Medford native, but no relation to Krystle. “Scarlette and Dawn, you join the six [previous] scholarship recipients who are off the charts great, and you are off the charts great.”

Richard Campbell established a $300,000 scholarship fund in Krystle’s name soon after the bombing. Fundraising efforts, including marathon teams, have grown the fund to $700,000, inspiring the 2018 Run for Krystle team to make additional strides toward the goal of a $1 million endowment. The 11-member 2018 Run for Krystle team hopes to raise at least $65,000 by the time they put toe to starting line at the 122nd Boston Marathon.

Scarlette Nord is a Haitian immigrant who has been involved in multiple charity efforts to support Haitian school children, earthquake victims, and immigrants by volunteering as an interpreter at the Boston Housing Authority. She hopes to lead by example and inspire young Haitian women to enter the world of business to make a difference.

“It really takes people with great hearts and dedication to do this. Thank you,” Nord said at the ceremonial check presentation. “To be a representative of the legacy of Krystle Campbell and this scholarship is beyond words.”

Dawn DeRossette, who served nine years on active duty in the U.S. Army, volunteers with multiple veterans programs and hopes to use her management degree to pursue a career in veterans services.

“I’m very passionate about my country and about my military and my brothers and sisters in arms and about leadership,” DeRossette said. “I’m really grateful that this scholarship gave me a reason to research and get to know Krystle Campbell. And I keep thinking about the fact that she was 29. And when I left for basic training, I was 29. But I knew what I was leaving for. I knew what I signed up for. She was never given the opportunity to make that choice for herself; it was taken from her.”


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