{"id":9825,"date":"2023-03-21T14:28:27","date_gmt":"2023-03-21T18:28:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/baycoast.bank\/?p=9825"},"modified":"2023-04-03T08:48:44","modified_gmt":"2023-04-03T12:48:44","slug":"baycoast-scholars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/baycoast.bank\/en\/insights\/baycoast-scholars\/","title":{"rendered":"BayCoast Scholars"},"content":{"rendered":"
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BayCoast Scholars<\/h1>\n\t \n\t
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Building A Sense of Belonging Through Education<\/div>\n\t\t\t \n\t\t\t \t
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Getting a good education can help us realize our dreams, lead us to achievement, and encourage us to become better citizens. It has been said that education is life itself. Today, BayCoast Bank is changing lives, thanks to an innovative educational program.
In partnership with Bristol Community College (BCC) and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (UMass), BayCoast has developed an inspiring program that gives local high school students from underserved and underrepresented backgrounds the opportunity to receive a free college education along with valuable career experience.
This inspiring initiative is called the BayCoast Scholars Program.
Students attending B.M.C. Durfee High School in Fall River and New Bedford High School are eligible to apply for the program. Once selected, they can complete their Associate\u2019s degree in business at BCC free of charge, including tuition, fees, books, technology, and other expenses. Upon graduation from BCC, the Scholars are guaranteed transfer into UMass Dartmouth\u2019s Business Management program, where they can complete their Bachelor\u2019s degree without the stress of accumulating student loan debt. As part of the program, the Scholars also receive part-time employment at BayCoast Bank, giving them a valuable head start on their careers.
\u201cThis program has meant everything to me,\u201d said Sharonne Morales, a Durfee High School graduate and member of the first cohort of BayCoast Scholars. \u201cBayCoast has given me hope that people who look like me are able to have opportunity. This program levels the playing field. Diversity is important and I feel a sense of belonging. It has truly been a blessing.\u201d
Katheryn Nogueira says being accepted into the program was a big relief. \u201cIt feels really great. Now I can focus on my studies and not worry about how I\u2019m going to pay for college. That burden has been lifted.\u201d
Luisa Furtado Ribeiro, a graduate of New Bedford High School, was born in Lisbon, Portugal and emigrated to Southern New England with her family when she was 11 years old. \u201cWhen I found out that I had been accepted into the program, it was a moment of gratitude. For all of us in the program, everything we are learning and the connections we are making \u2013 that is shaping our futures.\u201d
Furtado Ribeiro says having the opportunity to also gain valuable work experience at BayCoast Bank has been a huge advantage. \u201cGetting into the corporate world at just 18 years old has absolutely changed my life. The growth I have experienced is beyond words. To me, the opportunity is a blessing because coming from where I come from, I never thought I would go to college. I never thought something so amazing could happen to me.\u201d
Jovaughn Lopes says his guidance counselor at Durfee High School is to thank for telling him about the BayCoast Scholars program. \u201cShe thought this would fit me perfectly and she was right. This is real life. To have the opportunity to get an education \u2013 to learn in the classroom and then learn on the job, it gives you a leg up. You always hear that if you work hard, good things will happen, and sometimes you don\u2019t always believe it. It seemed like a far-fetched dream, but actually being accepted into the program, it was so amazing.\u201d
\u201cGetting an education is so important in today\u2019s world,\u201d said Nicholas M. Christ, President and CEO of BayCoast Bank. \u201cHere at BayCoast, we support and invest in education because we believe education is the primary economic driver that can transform lives and communities for the better. The Scholars program is such a wonderful example of improving the overall quality of life in some small way.\u201d
\u201cWe can see how much our Scholars really appreciate having this opportunity,\u201d adds Scott Lopes, VP of Human Resources for BayCoast Bank. \u201cWe are so proud of our BayCoast Scholars. We know they have bright futures ahead.\u201d
\u201cThe responsibility of being a pioneer in this program is not lost on me,\u201d adds Furtado Ribeiro. \u201cWe take that responsibility seriously. We want to do well; we want everyone to see we can succeed.\u201d
The Scholars say they are fortunate to have each other to lean on for support, as they move ahead in the program.
\u201cKatheryn and I, we push each other to succeed,\u201d continues Morales. \u201cWe both went to Durfee, but never met in high school. We connected in this program and it was so great not to feel alone. We also know we have a whole community of supporters around us with our colleagues at the bank.\u201d
\u201cI call my co-workers at the Airport Road Branch my \u2018aunties\u2019\u201d, said Lopes. \u201cThey are amazing mentors and they really take care of me. They help me not just with work, but with life.\u201d
\u201cThe BayCoast Scholars are impressive individuals. They are excelling and we can see the drive in them,\u201d said James Wallace, EVP, Chief Operating Officer for BayCoast Bank. \u201cBayCoast cares about our communities and we care about seeing our Scholars succeed, not just in their education but in life.\u201d
\u201cJim Wallace has been so supportive of us,\u201d adds Morales. \u201cHe treats us like we are valuable contributors. It\u2019s nice to be recognized for our hard work.\u201d
What do the BayCoast Scholars hope to do in the future?
\u201cI want to help others like me,\u201d said Lopes. \u201cIf I am ever in a position to give a student what I am being given now, I will do it. Getting a college education has been an incredible gift to receive and I hope someday, I can return the favor for someone who needs that support.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div> <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":9826,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"class_list":["post-9825","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insights"],"acf":[],"featured_image_urls_v2":{"full":["https:\/\/baycoast.bank\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Baycoast-Scholars-Resource-Image.jpg",1573,920,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/baycoast.bank\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Baycoast-Scholars-Resource-Image-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/baycoast.bank\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Baycoast-Scholars-Resource-Image-300x175.jpg",300,175,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/baycoast.bank\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Baycoast-Scholars-Resource-Image-768x449.jpg",768,449,true],"large":["https:\/\/baycoast.bank\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Baycoast-Scholars-Resource-Image-1024x599.jpg",1024,599,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/baycoast.bank\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Baycoast-Scholars-Resource-Image-1536x898.jpg",1536,898,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/baycoast.bank\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Baycoast-Scholars-Resource-Image.jpg",1573,920,false]},"post_excerpt_stackable_v2":"

Insights \u00b7 March 21, 2023 BayCoast Scholars Building A Sense of Belonging Through Education Getting a good education can help us realize our dreams, lead us to achievement, and encourage us to become better citizens. It has been said that education is life itself. Today, BayCoast Bank is changing lives, thanks to an innovative educational program.In partnership with Bristol Community College (BCC) and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (UMass), BayCoast has developed an inspiring program that gives local high school students from underserved and underrepresented backgrounds the opportunity to receive a free college education along with valuable career experience.This inspiring…<\/p>\n","category_list_v2":"Insights<\/a>","author_info_v2":{"name":"knogueira","url":"https:\/\/baycoast.bank\/en\/author\/knogueira\/"},"comments_num_v2":"0 comments","publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-13 20:17:44","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/baycoast.bank\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9825","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/baycoast.bank\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/baycoast.bank\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baycoast.bank\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baycoast.bank\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9825"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/baycoast.bank\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9825\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baycoast.bank\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9826"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/baycoast.bank\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9825"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baycoast.bank\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9825"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}