HOLYOKE – The Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke Board of Trustees has named the recipients of its 2015 academic scholarship awards for children of Soldiers’ Home employees.
Earning scholarships this year were:
Eric Shilynuk of Westfield. Shilyuk graduated from Westfield High School in June and plans to study mechanical engineering at Western New England University. He is the son of Pavel and Galina Shilyuk, a certified nurse assistant at the Home.
Zachary Beswick of Westfield. Beswick graduated from Westfield High School in June and plans to study psychology at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. He is the son of David and Lori Beswick, a program coordinator at the Home.
Santolo Odierna of West Springfield. Odierna is attending the University of Connecticut School of Law. He is in his third year at the school. He is son of Luigina and Giuseppe Odierna, a cook at the Home.
In addition to the three academic scholarships, each worth $1.666, the Trustees this year announced a new $1,250 scholarship for a student pursuing a career in the fine or performing arts.
A Florence man was named the recipient of the first-ever Walter J. Zarichak Scholarship Award in honor of longtime trustee Walter Zarichak, who passed away last year.
Connor Paradis, who graduated from Northampton High School in June, earned the Zarichak award. He will attend Boston University in the fall, where he will enter the College of Fine Arts. He plans to study acting in the School of Theater.
Paradis is the son of John and Denise Paradis. John is the deputy superintendent at the Soldiers’ Home; Denise is a pharmacist at Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton.
This is the first year for the arts scholarship award, which was established in memory of Zarichak, a World War II Veteran from Westfield who served on the Board of Trustees for nearly nine years. Zarichak died in July.
Zarichak worked in the art material industry in Connecticut and New York and was a past president of the National Material Trade Association and was a member emeritus of the Salmagundi Artists’ Club in New York, N.Y. He was a member of Westfield’s American Legion 124 and was both a past post commander and a past post chaplain.
To qualify, the applicant plans to major in the fine arts or in college studying in a fine arts program to include music, theater, dance, design, art production and the visual arts.
