‘College has opened up so many opportunities’ – scholarship recipient Tyler Cloutier
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| Tyler chats during a break from a rigorous course load that has included chemistry, calculus, and chemical and biomolecular engineering. | “Scholarships help a huge amount. Books cost thousands of dollars every year and even though scholarships usually make up a small percentage of the total costs of education, they help more than you might think. My scholarships paid for my books for the entire year,” explains Tyler Cloutier, a 2010 recipient of scholarships from two funds administered by The Rhode Island Foundation: the Aldo Freda Scholarship Fund and the Bernard and Henrietta O’Rourke Scholarship Fund.
A 2010 graduate of Lincoln High School, Tyler now is a freshman at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore where he is studying engineering, although switching to bio-technology is a possibility; he intends to minor in computer science. “There are many things I find interesting,” he says.
Indeed, on his application for the O’Rourke Scholarship, he noted, “I am interested in politics, biology, and the computer sciences, so it is difficult to speculate where my career goals will lead me. However, I hope to take advantage of my unique opportunity at Johns Hopkins University to combine my interests in science and government. Today, governments throughout the world are grappling with how to facilitate the use of biotechnology in agriculture, industry, and medicine while ensuring that new products and procedures are both ethical and safe.”
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| Tyler and Logan Brunner, a suite mate, enjoy "High Table," a Johns Hopkins tradition at which freshmen, top administrators, and faculty share dinner together. | His early coursework at Johns Hopkins has ranged from chemistry, calculus, chemical and biomolecular engineering, to Portuguese, music theory, and computer programming. “At Johns Hopkins, freshmen are encouraged to take a variety of courses, and I am taking full advantage of that this year,” he states.
He also is taking piano lessons at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, works part-time in the University Security Office entering computer data and dispatching security vans, participates in intramural soccer, and is drawn to University-sponsored seminars and debates.
The best part of college life, he shares “is all the people you meet and all you learn about them. College has opened up so many opportunities I would not have had otherwise.” One of his friends, he relates, is from Italy, is “incredibly good in math,” and has taught Tyler a great deal about the Italian government and politics from his perspective. Another friend is a member of a biomedical engineering (BME) design team that is working to develop a new kind of catheter. Tyler hopes to participate in the yearlong BME design team course as well.
At Lincoln High School, Tyler amassed an extensive list of honors and extracurricular activities, the former including serving as president of the National Honor Society and earning the Rensselaer Medal Award, Bryant University Book Award, and American Mathematics Contest Award. His many extracurricular activities included math team, tutoring club, Model Legislature, Future Business Leaders of America, cross-country track, and tennis. Tyler also was involved in community service through Saint Jude’s Church, was a Rhode Island Senate Judiciary Committee Page, and interned for the Rhode Island Senate Majority Leader.
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| Tyler, who is "interested in politics, biology, and the computer sciences," listens intently during a lecture. | The Aldo Freda Scholarship Fund was established at the Foundation in 1997 by friends of the late Aldo Freda, a Rhode Island legislator who represented the Federal Hill neighborhood of Providence for 24 years. The Fund requires that applicants are Rhode Island legislative pages.
The Bernard and Henrietta O'Rourke Scholarship Fund was established in 2008 through the estate plan of Henrietta O’Rourke, a lifelong Lincoln resident and teacher in the town’s Esmond and Fairlawn schools. It is designated for residents of Lincoln.
The Foundation administers more than 150 scholarship funds that together award more than $1 million annually. As Tyler reiterates, “Scholarships have really made a difference in my life.” |