WORCESTER, MA — Nathan Lopez of Worcester plans to study biology at Boston University and pursue a career in cardiology. He is among the students receiving support this year from Greater Worcester Community Foundation’s scholarship program.
Lopez received a Harold R. Jensen Memorial Scholarship, according to the foundation. In a statement provided by the foundation, he said the award has helped him commit to his plans and that he will be the first person in his immediate family to attend university.
The foundation announced $1.47 million in new scholarship awards to 247 high school seniors beginning college this fall. Of those awards, 145 are one-time scholarships and 102 are renewable. It also distributed $494,000 in payments to 241 current college students who already hold renewable scholarships. Those payments are separate from this year’s new awards.
The new awards include the largest single scholarship in the foundation’s history: a $104,000 Becker Scholarship for Michael Sobolewski to attend Worcester Polytechnic Institute. The Becker fund made its first awards this year. Assumption University is matching eligible Becker awards for students attending the school, the foundation said.
Recipients of new awards come from 66 cities and towns in Worcester County and beyond. More than two-thirds of the incoming college students will attend school in Massachusetts, including 44 who will enroll at colleges in Worcester County, according to the foundation.
For students looking ahead to college, the foundation’s scholarship information page explains eligibility and the application process. The 2026 application has closed. The foundation has also published a yearbook of this year’s 488 new and continuing recipients.
The foundation says a new emergency fund for scholarship recipients is expected to become available by the end of the year. Details about how students can access it have not yet been announced.
Disclosure: Greater Worcester Community Foundation has awarded grant funding to What’s Up Worcester News Inc. The foundation had no role in writing or editing this article.
W.U.W. Verification Box
- Project / Topic: Greater Worcester Community Foundation’s 2026 scholarships.
- Current Status: The foundation reports $1.47 million in new awards and $494,000 in payments on existing renewable scholarships.
- Key Dates or Decisions: The foundation announced the results Sept. 24, 2026.
- Estimated Cost: The reported new awards and existing scholarship payments total approximately $1.964 million; they are distinct categories.
- Timeline: New recipients began college in fall 2026. The scholarship emergency fund is expected to become available by year’s end.
- Immediate Next Steps: Students can review scholarship eligibility and application information for a future cycle.
- Primary Sources: The foundation’s 2026 scholarship announcement and scholarship information page.
- What We Do Not Yet Know: The foundation has not announced when the next general application cycle will open or how recipients will apply for emergency assistance.
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