Nicholas Minichiello chosen as 2014 McKeown Scholar

Woburn Memorial High graduate who has given hundreds of hours to his community is rewarded with $10,000 scholarship

May 22, 2014 – Graduating senior Nicholas Minichiello, who ranks fourth in his class at Woburn Memorial High School, bested 36 classmates to be chosen as this year’s McKeown Scholar.

He will be recognized during the Senior Scholarship Assembly at the school’s auditorium on Wednesday, May 28 at 7:00 p.m. Minichiello will receive a $10,000 scholarship to be applied to the four-year college or university of his choice. He will also receive a framed certificate, to be presented by Denise McKeown, widow of James L. McKeown, for whom the award is named.

McKeown was a Woburn native and 1973 Woburn High School graduate. He also was the first alumnus of Woburn Boys and Girls Club to serve as the club’s president. At the time of his death in 1996, McKeown was president of Cummings Properties.

The McKeown Scholars competition, now in its 18th year, is sponsored by Woburn-based Cummings Foundation.

According to Joel Swets, the Foundation’s executive director, “Nicholas’s sterling academic achievements, combined with his extraordinary service to the community make him an excellent example of a McKeown scholar. We are delighted to award him this scholarship.”

Minichiello has contributed hundreds of hours to his community through the Club for Social Concern, which he co-founded. The club recently collected more than $10,000 worth of food for those in need.

He is undecided about where he will attend college in the fall, but definitely plans to major in a science-related field. Among the sciences, Minichiello reports his greatest interest is in biology. A recipient of the Rensselaer Medal for excellence in math and sciences, he is a member of his school Science Team, which meets and competes monthly with as many as 25 other schools as part of the North Shore Science League. Minichiello noted that he has really enjoyed this unique way to explore science.

Woburn high school seniors in the top 20 percent of their class were invited to participate in the McKeown Scholars competition, which began on March 5 with a written essay under exam conditions at Woburn Memorial High School. Teachers from the school evaluated the anonymous essays and selected the top five finalists for the award. The winner was then determined based on overall essay quality, application packet, community service record, outstanding reputation, and a personal interview.

This year’s essay question asked students to write a letter to their parents regarding independence. The question elicited highly personal responses; therefore, Cummings Foundation decided not to publish the winning essay this year. Minichiello was surprised that the essay question was so personal, and he took 10 minutes to think before writing it.

“I treasure the independence I have in making decisions about my life, but value others’ input just as much,” he said.

After completing the essay and being told he was a finalist, Minichiello left his interview feeling confident. He knew he had made an impression when Superintendent Mark Donovan pulled him aside to tell him that his essay had moved him. Still, when he was told he won, he was very excited.