Gloucester Schooner Festival scholarship taking applications

Corryn Ulrich, who grew up in Gloucester, graduated from Massachusetts Maritime Academy and has joined the U.S. Coast Guard.

Along the way, in 2017, she applied for the city’s Schooner Festival Committee scholarship, now named in honor of Russ Smith, an award she won for three consecutive years, which helped with her educational expenses.

Since 2012, the Gloucester Schooner Festival Committee has given a portion of its funds raised to this scholarship to help provide Cape Ann youth with opportunities to explore and develop maritime skills.

Ralph “Russ” Smith, a longtime member of the festival’s Steering Committee, helped develop the scholarship fund by securing a seed grant from the Gerondelis Foundation in honor of Barbara Smith. He wanted to support the broader “ripple effect” of educational opportunities for youth.

When Russ Smith died in 2021, the Gloucester Schooner Festival Committee renamed the award in his honor.

“Reinvestment with another grant from the Gerondelis Foundation in honor of Russ along with donations from the community have kept his legacy alive,” said Michael De Koster, executive director at Maritime Gloucester. “With the 40th anniversary of the Gloucester Schooner Festival approaching, it’s important to reflect on the cultural and historic relevance of this unique maritime celebration and we want to support the next generation of mariners.”

Applications are being accepted for the Russ Smith Youth Scholarship for Maritime Education through March 15. The scholarship is for Cape Ann youth seeking continuing education or a career in any maritime field. Awards range from $500 to $2,000. Applications are based solely on letters that explain the applicant’s need and express the applicant’s motivation for a future career or training in maritime industries.

Inquiries and essays may be sent to info@maritimegloucester.org. Past recipients have participated in programs such as the Gloucester Museum School Project Adventure Summer Camp, Gloucester High School Sailing Program and maritime academies.

In a letter of appreciation for her first scholarship when she was a freshman, Ulrich wrote: “I have learned that overcoming challenges (whether it’s waking up at 5 a.m. for cleaning stations, or standing Admiral’s inspections) is certainly worth the struggle. I acquired a new outlook on life and see myself as a more resilient person than I was before.”

Last year, Daniel O’Leary, now in his second year of studies at Maine Maritime Academy, said the scholarship helped cover the expense of completing his summer sea term aboard the 500-foot vessel State of Maine last summer. He traveled to Azores, Spain, Germany and Ireland. He called this a “once in a lifetime opportunity,” which also enabled him to participate in a wreath-laying ceremony in Vigo, Spain, in honor of Magellan’s monumental circumnavigation of the globe, a cultural experience that he said he will never forget, according to a scholarship press release.

The scholarship will be awarded April 11 at the annual Gloucester Schooner Festival kickoff event and fundraiser at the Gloucester House Pub; event tickets sales to be announced soon.

De Koster noted that the Gloucester Schooner Festival supports another educational initiative with its Maritime Gloucester’s Mariner Apprenticeship program, which provides aspiring mariners with commercial-vessel experience during which they learn skills that will benefit them in a career at sea. These cadets become competent vessel operators and work toward obtaining a Coast Guard license.

“Maritime Gloucester is proud that to date, three captains have graduated from this program and three more are set to attain their licenses this spring,” he said.

For more information about the 40th Gloucester Schooner Festival, the scholarship or other programs, visit MaritimeGloucester.org.

Gail McCarthy can be reached at 978-675-2706, or at gmccarthy@gloucestertimes.com.