Bay State Games Announces 2024 Future Leaders Scholarship Recipients

November 15, 2024

WOBURN (November 15, 2024) – The Bay State Games has selected six statewide scholarship recipients for the 2024 Future Leaders Scholarship Program. These student-athletes were selected from a large applicant pool after a process that included committee reviews of all applications and virtual interviews with selected applicants.

These future leaders were selected based on their achievements and involvement in academics, community service, athletics, and leadership roles. The Bay State Games Future Leaders Scholarship program was established in 1989 and has since distributed nearly $400,000 in financial aid. Each of these high school seniors will receive a $1,000 scholarship for their first year of college.

“Since its inception in 1989, the Future Leaders Scholarship Program has recognized outstanding high school students that excel in the classroom, in the community, and on the field of play,” said Kevin Cummings, Executive Director of the Bay State Games. “We are proud that this program has provided nearly $400,000 in aid to support the continuing education of these well deserving student-athletes that represent all regions of Massachusetts and many different sports.”

This year’s six scholarship recipients are Akosua Adu-Gyamfi, Priya Bedard, Shannon Gustin, Keira Manning, Emilia Maria-Babcock, and Amelia Spencer.

Akosua Adu-Gyamfi is a resident of Holden and attends the Winchendon School. At school, she plays on the varsity basketball team, where she is an active team leader. She played in the 2024 Bay State Games Girls Basketball Showcase on the Central team and won the DICK’S Sporting Goods Sportsmanship Award. Akosua started a Bible study club at her school and plays the piano. Outside of school, she is a childcare worker at a local elementary school and volunteers at the Akwabba Free Clinic in Worcester. She hopes to continue playing basketball in college while studying criminal justice with hopes of becoming a lawyer.

Priya Bedard is a senior at Medway High School. At school, she is captain of the varsity softball team and plays on the varsity soccer and basketball teams. Priya competed in the 2024 Bay State Games Softball Showcase and was awarded the DICK’s Sporting Goods Sportsmanship Award for the Southeast team. She was selected as her school’s representative to attend the MIAA Leadership Conference. At school, Priya is a photographer for the school newspaper and volunteers for Relay for Life. She is currently completing an internship at the Innovation Center Pathways at Milford Regional Hospital. She volunteers at the Medway food pantry. After graduation, Priya plans to continue her academic and athletic career at the University of Hartford as a member of the softball team.

Shannon Gustin is a senior at Rockland High School. She is ranked #11 in her class, sporting a 4.22 GPA through her junior year. Shannon is the Spirit Chair on the student council, which includes planning inclusion pep rallies, dances, spirit weeks and any other school spirit related event hosted at our school that bring us together as one “Bulldog Nation”. At school, she is also a member of the volleyball team, a founding member of her school’s DECA chapter and Vice President of Career Development, is a feature editor and writer for the RHS Veritas newspaper, and a secretary of Key Club. She was a founding member of the Women’s Empowerment Club at her school, which successfully was able to get feminine hygiene products installed in all the girl’s bathrooms at her school. Shannon is a high school sports and prom dress content creator as well. Shannon also competes in figure skating with the Winterland Skating School and has competed in Bay State Games Figure Skating competitions since 2016. Shannon plans on attending a 4-year university to study marketing and journalism to later work in the sports media field after graduation.

Keira Manning is a native of Marlborough and attends the Advanced Math & Science Academy, where she plays field hockey and lacrosse. She is captain of her co-op field hockey team with Marlborough High School and is on the MIAA Student Advisory Committee. Within her school community, she is involved in a variety of clubs, including Leaders of Tomorrow, NHS, and Peer Mediation. She is a member of the Principal’s Council and is a Bay State Games Ambassador. Keira played for the Central team in the Bay State Games Field Hockey Showcase for 3 years. Keira is involved in the community through the Marlborough Public Library as a member of the Teen Advisory Board. She has won several leadership awards and attended leadership conferences all around the county, including being one of the four students from Massachusetts to be selected to attend the National Student Leadership Summit in Indianapolis this past summer. Keira plans to continue playing field hockey at Dickinson College after graduation while studying international studies or pre-law with hopes of attending law school.

Emilia Maria-Babcock is a senior at Everett High School. She is ranked #6 in her class of 630 students with a 4.76 GPA. She is captain of the varsity basketball and soccer teams and plays softball at Everett High School. She played in the Bay State Games Girls Basketball Showcase for the Metro team twice, winning a silver medal in 2023 and gold in 2024. Emilia is the president of her class, in NHS and Spanish NHS, a student ambassador, and a member of Key Club. She has been presented with a National Women in Sports Leadership Award. When she’s not on the field or court, you can find Emilia playing the violin in the high school orchestra. Emilia is a youth basketball and softball coach and works as a sailing instructor. She hopes to become a physical therapist.

Amelia Spencer is a native of Lynn and Winthrop and attends Winthrop High School. She holds a 4.3 GPA through her junior year. She has been president of her class for two years, is president of the student council, and was the sophomore class videographer. She is also a member of student government, debate club, math club, and wellness club. She is an MIAA Student Ambassador, Morgan’s Message Ambassador, and Bay State Games Ambassador. Athletically, she is captain of her school’s ice hockey and softball teams and played in the Bay State Games Girls Ice Hockey Showcase for 3 years, winning the gold medal each time. She is a Learn to Skate instructor, a Special Olympics volunteer, and completed an internship with the North Shore Navigators. Amelia was one of 4 students from Massachusetts to attend the National Student Leadership Summit in Indianapolis this past summer. In college, Amelia will continue to play NCAA Women’s Ice Hockey and will be studying special education and minoring in nutrition. Her dream job is to become an adaptive physical education teacher.

For more information on the Future Leaders Scholarship Program, click here.
For a list of past recipients and the colleges and universities they've attended, click here.

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Bay State Games Announces 2025 Future Leaders Scholarship Recipients

November 18, 2025

The Bay State Games has selected six statewide scholarship recipients for the 2025 Future Leaders Scholarship Program. These student-athletes were selected from a large applicant pool after a process that included committee reviews of all applications and virtual interviews with selected applicants. These future leaders were selected based on their achievements and involvement in academics, community service, athletics, and leadership roles. The Bay State Games Future Leaders Scholarship program was established in 1989 and has since distributed nearly $400,000 in financial aid. Each of these high school seniors will receive a $1,000 scholarship for their first year of college. “Bay State Games is proud to continue the Future Leaders Scholarship program which since 1989 has provided over $400,000 in aid to support the continuing education of outstanding young leaders." said Kevin Cummings, Executive Director of the Bay State Games. “These well deserving student-athletes have excelled in the classroom, on the field and in the community, representing a variety of schools, sports and regions across Massachusetts” This year’s six scholarship recipients are Elyse Bissada, Brooke Blahut, Abigail Howie, Olivia Laaper, Sabina Mackechnie, Molly McIntyre. Elyse Bissada is a senior at Dover-Sherborn High School, where she is a four-year varsity field hockey and track & field athlete, as well as the team captain for both sports. In 2025, Elyse was a member of the Bay State Games Southeast field hockey team where she won a gold medal. Elyse is the founder of the Veterinary Medicine Club at her school and in her free time volunteers at local farms and Animal Rescue Leagues across the state. Elyse has committed to play field hockey and study biology at Hamilton College, where she plans to pursue veterinary medicine and ultimately establish an affordable low-cost clinic that serves her community. Brooke Blahut is a senior at North Quincy High School where she is a 4-year varsity member of the soccer team, and captain of the varsity ice hockey team. Brooke is also a well accomplished figure skater. She began skating at age 2 at Winterland Skating School and is now a U.S. Figure Skating Gold Medalist. Brooke has participated in Bay State Games annually since 2016, medaled 6 times, and is a 4-year Bay State Games High School Ambassador. Brooke is also the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) Ambassador for NQHS. Brooke is Vice President of her class, a member of the National Honor Society and Science National Honor Society and academically ranks in the top 5% of her class with a 4.6 GPA. Brooke is a two-time team leader and participant in the FBI Teen Leadership Academy and plans to pursue her master’s in forensic science and criminology and become an FBI Special Agent. Abigail Howie is a senior at Wilmington High School, where she is on the varsity soccer team and is captain of the Winter and Spring Track teams. Abigail serves as President of Student Council and the Wildcat Service Council, where she founded the “Bridging Generations” community initiative. She is a member of the National Honor Society, DECA, and Best Buddies. Abigail coaches a Wilmington fourth-grade team and is a USSF-certified soccer referee. She has most recently created an Alzheimer's Awareness community service project for her senior year. She hopes to continue her athletic career in college while studying sports management and marketing. Olivia Laaper resides in Stow and is a senior at Fusion Academy in Burlington. Laaper has been a captain of multiple high school sports teams including Track & Field and Swimming. Olivia is captain of her archery team at Riverside Archers and has won multiple medals in archery at Bay State Games and state competitions. Beyond athletics, Olivia has gained hands-on experience in emergency medicine as a high school intern with Pro EMS and plans to take her EMT certification this fall. She gives back to her community by lifeguarding and coaching youth swimming at Goldfish Swim School, volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters and at local food banks. In college, Olivia plans to pursue a degree in nursing with a minor in emergency medicine and psychology. Sabina Mackechnie is a senior at East Longmeadow High School where she is a three sport athlete and captain in Soccer, Basketball and Lacrosse. She has earned all-league and second-team All-Western Mass honors in soccer and lacrosse. Sabina has been a By State Games Ambassador for two years and is a member of her school's Athletic Leadership Council and Pink Ribbon Club. Sabina participates in canned food drives and fundraisers for her school sports teams. Sabina will continue her lacrosse career at Springfield College while pursuing a degree in Education. Molly McIntyre is a senior at Norton High School where she is a three-sport captain in cross country, basketball, and outdoor track, earning multiple TVL All-Star honors, and MVP awards. Molly serves in key leadership roles on Student Council, DECA, Best Buddies, and five National Honor Societies. She volunteers at local youth sports programs, community events, and the MSG Gregory Trent Foundation. Molly works part-time at a donut shop and local ice cream store. She plans on attending Stonehill College where she will compete in track and study Finance and Marketing. For more information on the Future Leaders Scholarship Program, click here. For a list of past recipients and the colleges and universities they've attended, click here . About the Massachusetts Amateur Sports Foundation/Bay State Games The Massachusetts Amateur Sports Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that was established in 1982 to host the first sanctioned state games of the Commonwealth. It operates with the mission of promoting personal development, education, physical fitness, teamwork, and sportsmanship to Massachusetts citizens of all ages and abilities. The Foundation is recognized for hosting high quality, Olympic-style events through the Bay State Summer and Winter Games, as well as educational programs, including the Future Leaders Scholarship Program, and the High School Ambassador Program.