uAspire First One Massachusetts
The uAspire First One Awards are given to leaders throughout Massachusetts who are first-generation college graduates. Spanning across business, government, education and nonprofits, uAspire First One Award Winners have made a meaningful impact on the lives of others. What brings uAspire First Ones together is their common experience as being part of the first generation of their families to earn a college degree. They represent the power of higher education to propel individuals and families out of poverty and toward lives of opportunity.
2013 uAspire First One Massachusetts Award Winners
(video produced by Liberty Mutual Insurance)
uAspire is proud to recognize the following winners of the uAspire First One Awards for Massachusetts.
- The Honorable Deval Patrick – Governor, Commonwealth of Massachusetts
- Erica Brown – Executive Director, City on a Hill
- Wayne Budd – Senior Counsel, Goodwin Procter
- Magnolia Contreras – Director of Community Benefits, Dana Farber Cancer Institute
- Bob Karam – Principal, Karam Financial Group
- Victor Lee – Vice President, Hasbro
2013 uAspire First One Massachusetts Awards Selection Committee
- Bithiah Carter, Blacks in Philanthropy
- Carolyn Casey, Project 351
- Dolores Johnson
- Blake Jordan, Highland Street Foundation
- Melissa MacDonnell, Liberty Mutual
- Sharon McNally, Connors Family Office
- * Michael Melendez, Simmons College
- * Regina Pisa, Goodwin Procter
- Bob Rivers, Eastern Bank
- Wai-Yan Sun, FreeCause Inc.
- Chip Tuttle, Conover Tuttle Pace
- Rep. Martha Walz, Massachusetts House of Representatives
Thank You to Our Supporters
uAspire thanks the following for their support of the uAspire First One Awards.
Presenting
The Lavine Family
Media
Liberty Mutual Insurance
Vanguard
The Bank of America Charitable Foundation, Inc.
The Boston Foundation
The Kresge Foundation
MetLife Foundation
P.I. Garden Fund
State Street Foundation
Advocate
BNY Mellon
Citi Foundation
Comcast
Diane and Neil Exter
Loomis, Sayles & Company
Mentor
Anonymous
Josh and Anita Bekenstein
Holly and David Bruce
Citizens Bank Foundation
Maria and Robert Dwyer
Eastern Bank
Greater Boston Real Estate Board
Jane Musser Nelson and Gordon Nelson
Laurie and Peter Thomsen
Lovett-Woodsum Foundation
Sponsor
Scott and Pamela Aldsworth
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Deloitte LLP
Michael and Barbara Eisenson
Goodwin Procter LLP
John Hancock
Jeffrey and Susan Jones
E.J. and Chris Landry
Northeastern University
Alexander and Alison Packard
Pierce & Mandell, P.C and the Eddie Mandell Memorial Scholarship Fund
Kathryn Plazak and Allan Taylor
SBLI
Suffolk Construction’s Red & Blue Foundation
Suffolk Downs
University of Massachusetts Boston
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
University of Massachusetts Foundation, Inc.
Howard and Candice Wolk
Brooks and Linda Zug
Megan and David Zug
Nominate a uAspire First One
uAspire is accepting nominations for next year’s uAspire First One Massachusetts Awards. If you would like to nominate someone, please e-mail Chris Minerd at chrism@uaspire.org.
Previous uAspire First One Winners
Learn more about our uAspire winners from previous classes and read their stories by clicking on the links below.
Boston
2011 (video produced by Conover Tuttle Pace)
- Susanne Cameron, Citi
- William “Mo” Cowan, Office of Governor Deval Patrick
- Neal Finnegan, Citizens Bank
- Tiffany Cooper Gueye, BELL
- Rev. Dr. Michael Paul Melendez, Simmons College
- Carmen Ortiz, United States Attorney, District of Massachusetts
- Leonard Schlesinger, Babson College
2010
- Isabel Garcia, Documentary Filmmaker
- Rep. Kevin G. Honan, Commonwealth of Massachusetts
- Rebecca Haag, AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts
- Dolores Ortiz, BNY Mellon
- Regina Pisa, Goodwin Procter
- Alicia Mooltrey, Boston College
Springfield
2012
- Steven Bradley, Baystate Health
- Sen. Gale Candaras, Commonwealth of Massachusetts
- Heriberto Flores, New England Farmworkers Council
- Kathy LeMay, Raising Change
- Christy Torres, Springfield Community Center
2011
- Dr. Alan Ingram, Springfield Public Schools
- Dr. Carol Leary, Bay Path College
- James Morton, YMCA of Metropolitan Hartford
- Mayor Domenic Sarno, City of Springfield
Lawrence
2012
- Luis Yépez, MainStream Global