Grace Keleher, a graduating senior from Mt. Ararat High School, is this year’s winner of the Julie Dimperio Holowach Scholarship. The $2,000 annual award was named after the late Dimperio Holowach, of Bailey Island, an athlete and fashion executive who died in 2020.
Keleher, of Topsham, will attend Duke University to study biology, with plans to go to medical school after college. She was Mt. Ararat’s indoor and outdoor track captain, a member of the Student Senate and the National Honor Society, and a participant in the Olympia Snowe Women’s Leadership Institute. She played field hockey and coached a field hockey camp for young girls.
“I have lived through a pandemic and seen the damage and hurt that one virus can cause,” Keleher said about her career choice. “I am determined to help stop new viruses from having the same level of destruction that COVID-19 had. That’s why in college I want to expand my knowledge of cells, viruses, parasites and infectious diseases.”
Attending the June 5 scholarship presentation were Dimperio Holowach’s husband, Al Holowach; daughter, Alex Holowach; and son, Dean Holowach, with his wife, Addy.
The scholarship honors Dimperio Holowach’s legacy by supporting young women who exemplify her enthusiasm for life, generosity of spirit, dynamic leadership and community engagement. Patti Neuhof and Sandy Thulis are the leaders of the fund.
