The Anne MacKay Scholarship gives $1,500 to a deserving public high school senior in Riverhead, Shelter Island or Southold Townships, with a goal of returning to our communities the same generous and adventurous spirit that Anne exemplified in her many decades here on the North Fork.

Danielle Knuth, our winner of the $1500.00 scholarship, is a highly ranked student at Mattituck HS.  She is the first in her family to attend college and has been accepted into a highly competitive Nursing program at the University of Vermont, where she intends to focus on her dream of becoming a Pediatric Oncology Nurse. Active in sports as well as academe, Danielle has [3] Varsity letters in Cross Country and Track and is exceedingly active in her community. She is passionate in her caring for the fair treatment of others and has served as a Counselor at Camp Good Grief with children ages 4 to 17 who have experienced the loss of a loved one. As a volunteer at the Timothy Hill Children’s ranch for terminally ill youngsters, she also managed to collect over 100 pairs of eyeglasses for children in an orphanage in Uganda. Articulate, poised, and a sensitive writer we think Danielle is an excellent example of a future leader in Healthcare or in any path she chooses to pursue.

This year, due to their outstanding leadership and courage, our two co-runners up are each receiving a $750.00 Scholarship:

Megan Demarest, this year’s second highest GPA record at Greenport HS, is planning a future in Criminology studying in a college in Pennsylvania. Well-spoken, calm and confident, Megan’s sensitivity to other’s comfort and security has led her outreach to students of different backgrounds, abilities and cultures, helping them assimilate in the High School community. Believing that all people are equal, regardless of skin color or physical differences, Megan has helped local and international students gain confidence by sharing their diversities, their traditions, celebrations and foods they love. An active member of the Southold Town Youth Bureau & Advisory Council, she helped organize an Anti-Bias Day in the three neighboring school districts, to help students become more aware of maintaining tolerance and acceptance and working to help dispel their fears and expand their knowledge of the contribution diversity offers in all our communities. We think Megan will contribute an amazing awareness and sensibility as she pursues her future career in police work.

Shelby Pickerell, the top scholar at Southold HS, has a bright and engaging future ahead of her. Confident, poised, gifted in languages and an eloquent writer, she will be attending the University of California at Berkeley where she intends to study linguistics.  For [4] years, Shelby has been a member and Co-Captain of the Southold track team as well as a member and lead cast performer in the Drama Club. She is a cadet leader in the East End NJROTC with exceptional organizational responsibilities. In addition to participating in food drives and community cleanups, Shelby focused on reaching out to minority students to help build their confidence, encouraging them to participate on school teams and in clubs where they had felt unwelcome to join. Shelby’s ultimate goal is to work as a Foreign Service Officer in the US State Department.