Isha Patel received a Danvers Historical Society Market Scholarship

DANVERS, MA — The Danvers Historical Society’s Trailblazer Scholarship was recently awarded to a Danvers High senior who said her grandmother’s valuable Indian folklore taught her honesty, patience and trust.

Isha Patel received this year’s scholarship from a field of six finalists who shared how their family heritage taught them a valuable skill or approach to life and how their Trailblazer family was most influential.

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Patel spoke to the scholarship committee about how the power of Indian storytelling preserves heritage, identity and tradition. She said her experiences at Medtronic and the high school’s Model UN program inspire her to continue to pursue equity and inclusion.

The Trailblazer Scholarship recognizes family pioneers throughout the city’s history, no matter how recent or from which previous generation of student heritage. Pioneers are defined as those who take risks and create a path to make a better life for their families.

“They arrive in what we now know as Danvers from all over the world and some have been the original guardians of this land for over thousands of years,” the Danvers Historical Society said. “They all share their stories to enrich our understanding of our community and our view of the world.

“From indigenous peoples and Europeans who came to this area for its abundance of natural resources to those who sought freedom and education, pioneers saw this area as a place to prosper and nurture their descendants.”

The scholarship is available to a Danvers High School graduate who has been accepted into a post-secondary education program and has demonstrated consistent participation in one or more of Affinity Group, Prism, Model UN/Government, English Language Learning, and Women of the World. clubs.

Members of the Danvers Historical Society funded the scholarship and wish Patel the best in her future endeavors.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at [email protected]. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)