Golf Club Announces 2024 Nantucket Scholars

For the first time in the 19 years of the program, the Nantucket Golf Club announced three Nantucket Scholar recipients – deviating from the traditional two students per year. The winners were Archie Ferguson, Henry Crosby, and Chloe Marrero.


All three seniors will receive full four-year college scholarships for all tuition and fees from the club to the college of their choice. Ferguson will be attending New York University – studying Filmmaking; Crosby will be attending Georgetown University – studying Economics; and Marrero will be attending the University of Massachusetts Amherst – her field of study is Undecided. The club also celebrated the 15 recipients of its Nantucket Professional Workforce scholarship program. 

All three winners said afterwards they were in total shock to hear their names be called. All three revealed that they name dropped one another to the selection committee during the interviewing process – which Tom Bresette, the executive director of the Nantucket Golf Club Foundation confirmed to the Current as well.



"It has been such a great process getting to spend time with so many great individuals and you know, winning with the person I said should win (Henry) is just awesome,” Ferguson said. "I am so happy Chloe won too. She is amazing.”

“My reaction? I don’t even know. I was in shock. I just wanted to hug my Dad,” Crosby said. “I am so proud of Archie. I was so happy to hear his name called and just giving him a hug on stage was such a great moment. I didn’t think I would win. I thought Archie would win. They asked every finalist who should win and we said each other.”

“I was not expecting this. My jaw dropped to the floor,” Marrero said. “I just started shaking and I was excited. My first thought was no stress about paying for school. Standing up there with Archie and Henry was just such an honor because I look up to them both as peers and as exceptional human beings. To be recognized alongside them is just crazy. I didn’t think I would win at all. My goal was to make the top 10 when I applied. I had no idea I would win.”

For a second consecutive year, the Foundation is also awarding the remaining eight finalists a renewable $5,000, four-year scholarship to the school of their choice. Those finalists include Aiden Congdon, Lauren Cutone, Joan Harris, Benton Killion, Rocky Monto, Emerson Pekarcik, Anna Popnikolova, Rodane Watson.


Bresette said afterwards that this group is “super intelligent and very, very creative and diverse.”

“They were pulling for each other, which is really neat,” he said. “Going in and doing the meetings, it was fun. I always have fun anyway, but it looked like they were having fun. Not too much stress. Didn't seem like too much anxiety. It looked like they were really throwing themselves into. It just gives you hope. These kids are amazing. It's so cool.”



Bresette said that there were a lot of financial considerations this year that played a role in the decision to award a third scholarship. He said that, combined with the 11 finalists being an exceptional group, ultimately led to the Foundation awarding three winners.

"The FAFSA took forever. That's why we were delayed, and we just thought that for this year in this class, it needed it,” he said. “It's not something that we will probably do every year, but there are a lot of considerations to take into mind.”

The selection committee includes Tom Bresette, Alan Cunha, Michael Cozort, Amy Lee, and Grace Hull. Susan McFarland oversees all the past and present Scholars as the foundation's data coordinator.

Below are where the other eight finalists will be attending college.

Aiden Congdon: Attending Clemson University and his field of study is Undecided.

Lauren Cutone: Attending George Washington University and will be studying Neuroscience.

Joan Harris: Attending Colgate University and will be studying Environmental Science.

Benton Killion: Still choosing between two colleges.

Rocky Monto: Still choosing between two colleges.

Emerson Pekarcik: Attending High Point University and her field of study is Undecided. She will be playing Div. 1 lacrosse.

Anna Popnikolova: Attending Harvard University and her field of study is Undecided.

Rodane Watson: Attending UMass Boston and will be studying Engineering Physics.

The club also held their professional workforce scholarship ceremony. This program is in its seventh year and was created to provide support to Nantucket High School graduates who enjoyed great success in the NHS vocational programs and had plans to further their education in those fields after high school.

There were 15 finalists for this year and each of the 15 received partial scholarships to the school of their choice. They will meet with Bresette and NGCF data coordinator Susan McFarland individually in the coming weeks to determine the amount of their scholarships.

The foundation has now awarded scholarships to every finalist three years in a row (37 finalists total) and to this date, has handed out 57 vocational scholarships. Below are the 15 finalists:

Alison Bamber: Attending Sacred Heart University – Nursing

Alondra Barragan: Savannah College Art & Design – Hopes to be an art teacher

Colin Christie: School to be determined but plans to pursue a degree in Music Production.

Aubrey Connors: Majoring in Communications and Media with a minor in Graphic Design at Merrimack College.

Tatum Corbett: Attending Endicott College and will be studying Theatre and Music Education.

Michael Culkins: Attending Mass Maritime Academy and plans to join the Marine Engineering Program while studying Marine Transportation.

Brooke Damian: Attending Wentworth Institute of Technology and will be studying Interior Design.

Hannah Gerardi: Attending UMass Amherst and will be studying Early Childhood Education.

Chloe Girvin: Attending Syracuse University and will be studying Nutrition.

Hannah Harrington: Attending UMass Amherst and will be studying Kinesiology.

Claire Misurelli: Attending UMass Amherst and will be studying Kinesiology.

Brian Osorio-Portillo: Attending Wentworth Institute of Technology and will be studying Architecture.

Lily Remick: Attending Endicott College and will be studying Early Childhood Education.

Griffin Starr: Attending Massachusetts Maritime Academy and will be studying Marine Transportation while playing Div. 3 lacrosse.

Andrea Tejada-Hercules: Hoping to attend Cape Cod Community Colleges and join their Dentistry Program.

The Nantucket Golf Club Foundation was founded in 2002. The mission of NGCF is to promote the positive development and enrichment of Nantucket children. Through the generous support of the members of Nantucket Golf Club, their guests, and others, the Nantucket Golf Club Foundation has raised $45 million in the last 22 years for the benefit of Nantucket youth. Its charitable initiatives include recurring grant and scholarship programs, as well as occasional capital contributions to worthy, local causes.