2023 Scholarship Winners
Reilly Renée Michaud, from Kingston High School, who won a scholarship for Excellence in Choral Singing and Individual Vocal Performance, plans on attending Nazareth College in Pittsford, NY, (formerly the Nazareth College of Rochester) to study Music Education with a focus on Voice. Having studied French already, she wants to minor in Italian and to study abroad. She has already traveled extensively in eight European countries. At Kingston High School, she enrolled in Choir for 3 years and Voice I, II, and III with a 7-song recital in June 2022. She participated in Area All State this year, performing the soprano 1 solo, “O Mio Babbino Caro” by Puccini and received a 99 on her All-State solo in April of last year. She also studies privately with her choir teacher Mr. Lohman.
Olivia Martens, from Red Hook High School, who received a scholarship for Excellence in German and Music, has been an outstanding student of German in Middle School and at Red Hook High School. She composes and writes songs, loves piano music (Bach, Brahms). She plays guitar, flute, and piano: that was her foundation for song writing. She submitted a song to NYSSMA Allstate (New York State Schools Music Association) and was surprised that she won the Song Writers Competition. She was a finalist for the next two years. As a graduate student at West Virginia University, Olivia intends to minor in Music Composition and plans to spend a year abroad in Germany. She wants to continue studying German and hopes to become fluent in it. Olivia will be attending West Virginia University.[/caption]
Jillian Hunziker’s interests lie in music and language learning. She received her award for Excellence in German and Music and has been studying German for 5 years, in Middle School and at Red Hook High School. She plans to attend an American University in Europe to prepare for a possible career in International Relations and explore Germany and Europe. Jillian writes, produces, and performs music in her spare time. She began with singing in her church choir and caroling. She plays the guitar and piano and is a recorded artist, having released two original songs on all streaming platforms. She is the lead singer in “Chocolate Jam,” a roots band that performs at gigs around the community. Her band prides itself in taking up gigs that promote involvement in the community, like at Four Corners Farm, Hardscrabble Festival, and the Community Center in Red Hook.
The winner of the 2023 Otto and Helene Borchardt Scholarship for Excellence in the Study of German.
Sean Murphy Garabedian from Red Hook High School, who wrote an excellent essay about his love for German and German politics. He has studied German since 7th grade, preferring it over French and Spanish. He is interested in the refugee problem in Germany, comparing the way Angela Merkel handled the refugee crisis in Germany with the way the American government is dealing with it. Sean’s love of history and politics has motivated him to learn enough German to be able to have discussions about such topics in German. He has visited Cologne and traveled in Switzerland, where he used basic Hochdeutsch to communicate, realizing how different it was from the Swiss German used there. For Sean, German opened the world to him, and learning the language taught him determination and perseverance. During his time at Red Hook, he ran a World News program from 2020–2022, and often reported on German politics and events in Europe. He will be attending Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY as part of the class of 2027, with a major in Global Studies focusing on international relations.