Five NB Students Awarded The Jacobs Family Scholarship

After their tour of New Bedford High School on Tuesday, Irwin Jacobs and his wife Joan wrapped up their visit to the city with their 16th annual scholarship presentation at the Whaling Museum.

The Jacobs Family rewarded five high school seniors in New Bedford with a $35,000 scholarship to study math, science, or engineering in college.

Greater New Bedford Voc-Tech Senior Jacob Aubertine says the scholarship allows him to attend Northeastern University for computer engineering.

"It's really unbelievable what [the Jacobs] do. It's insane that they'll come back and give so much of their money for students to go study... and to allow us to pursue our dreams and do what we really want to do. It's remarkable," Aubertine said.

The scholarship started out as a $20,000 award for two students in 2001. Now, the Jacobs Family has given 58 total scholarships to New Bedford students, including this year's five young scholars.

New Bedford High's Katherine Gomes will be attending Worcester Polytechnic Institute next year. She says the Jacobs Family Scholarship will play a big role in her time studying chemical engineering.

"It's going to lower my student loans exponentially, and its also going to give me somewhat of a sense of security, and also motivation to keep my grades up," Gomes tells WBSM News.

As a first-generation college student living in a one-parent home, the extra money is especially helpful for students like Global Learning Charter School's Viriato Nunes, who will be attending Union College in New York for environmental sciences.

Other students receiving the Jacobs Family Scholarship this year are New Bedford High's Zachary Silva, who will attend Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for engineering, and Victoria Vafaee, who will attend New York University for biomedical engineering.