Malden Teen Gets Full Ride To Framingham State

MALDEN, MA — When an admissions counselor at Framingham State called Wendy Pierre of Malden to tell him he didn't have to worry about paying for college or housing for the next four years, he was shocked.

"It's a huge opportunity," Pierre told Patch in an interview Thursday afternoon. "My family is really excited for me. They keep congratulating me and telling me what a huge accomplishment this is."

Pierre said he felt behind the curve when he started his senior year last fall at Malden High School. Despite the multiple college-level courses he'd taken since his sophomore year and the fact that he'd already finished most of the credits required to graduate high school, he didn't feel like he'd made enough progress on the college front.

He scheduled his senior year classes sparsely enough to spend hours a day at the career and college center, where his advisors helped him figure out everything he needed for his college applications — particularly the all-important essays.

"It was a lot of fine-tuning, going around to all my different teachers for feedback," Pierre told Patch. He knew he'd have to get the essay right as an aspiring English major.

Framingham State University's prestigious Mancuso Scholarship is the result of a generous $2.5 million financial commitment from English Professor Halcyon Mancuso in 2018. The scholarship covers its recipients' tuition, fees, room and board for four years. Only two are awarded each year.

Mancuso designed the scholarship to emphasize career-readiness. To keep his scholarship, Pierre will have to participate in at least two internships before he graduates and keep his GPA at or above 3.0, among other requirements.

Applicants to the scholarship must choose to major in English or certain Humanities/Social & Behavioral Sciences at FSU, or they won't be considered. Fortunately, Pierre knew he wanted to study English from the get-go.

"My most prevalent bonds have always been with my English teachers," Pierre told Patch.

It's because of those teachers that he's also considering a minor in secondary education. He's always found joy in reading and writing, and he said he'd like to be a teacher to "share that joy with others."

Pierre will start at Framingham State this fall.