Congratulations to our 2019 Linda K. Ryan Award Winners by: Amy Bucher

By Tori Hay

Jim Ryan addresses the Junior League of Boston general membership while VP of Community Service Tori Hay looks on.

Linda Kandarian Ryan was an exemplary wife, mother, and member of the Junior League of Boston. She began her career in education and transitioned into the publishing industry where she was well-respected. Linda’s substantial commitment to the world of volunteerism began when she joined the Junior League of Boston. She served on the League’s executive committees and received both the Volunteer Recognition Award and the Sarah Lawrence Award for her contributions to the National Museum for Women in the Arts in Washington, DC. She also served on the board of the Boston Junior League Garden Club. Her volunteering for the arts extended to the Museum of Fine Arts, and the Museum School, where she relished participating in the Museum School’s annual Christmas student sale.

Linda passed away following a brief illness in 2009. Her many friends remember her as a generous hostess, talented organizer, wonderful role model, natural leader and devoted wife to her beloved husband Jim and mother to their daughter Franci. Upon her passing, Linda’s family set up a scholarship fund, entrusting the Junior League of Boston to award participants of our community programs with funding that enables girls to expand on the skills they learned during the year by participating in enriching programming outside the league, during the summer.

The Junior League of Boston is proud to announce that three exceptional participants of our Community programs have been selected to receive summer camp scholarships this year.

Alondra Leon Hernandez

Our first winner, Alondra Leon Hernandez, has been attending our STEM program in East Boston for the past two years. She is one of our rock stars! She always participates and has creative ideas. She’s also incredibly welcoming, kind, and works to be inclusive even if she doesn’t know the other girls well. No matter what challenges she encounters, she has not lost her sense of self, and has become even stronger at STEM. This girl will be using her scholarship to attend camp U-Design at Boston University’s College of Engineering this summer and we couldn’t be more proud.

Phoebe LeNgo

Our second winner, Phoebe LeNgo, was one of the only students to attend our inaugural STEM Program in Jamaica Plain, and stick with it even though she was at times the only student in our first set of sessions. She was always enthusiastic and eager to participate. Our volunteers enjoyed working with her so much. This summer she will also be attending camp U-Design at Boston University, experiencing a hands-on laboratory and workshop experience enabling her to experiment, design, analyze and test challenging problems in addition to creating her own inventions. Both she and Alondra will experience cutting-edge research and demonstrations by visiting College of Engineering faculty and students.

Nalaya Rodas

Our third winner, Nalaya Rodas, has been a fantastic addition to our JL Boston Arts program, one of our League’s longest running programs that provides exposure and hands-on access to different art related disciplines including performing arts, visual arts, culinary arts and design. This special Arts participant comes to each session excited and ready to learn, always with a positive attitude. She works hard on her art projects and always comes up with creative ways to complete the activities. She takes time to carefully think through her creative designs in order to really make a standout piece of art. This student absolutely LOVES Disney and is always either listening to or singing Disney songs. As a Linda Ryan scholarship winner, this student will be attending the Bay Colony Performing Arts Academy to perform in a production of The Lion King this summer, and fulfill her dream of being a part of her own Disney show!

Congratulations to all three of our winners!