The Linda Horan Scholarship Awards

The NH AFL-CIO named our Scholarship Fund after IBEW Sister Linda Horan who lost her battle with cancer in 2016 . She was a true warrior for Labor and the Scholarship program was very important to her. She ALWAYS believed in leaving the ladder down to help young people rise up!

Each year  we invite affiliate members and their families to apply for a scholarship award by writing an essay on a topic we select.

With 2020 forcing us to face triple crises of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic inequality (exacerbated by the pandemic), and a serious need to address racial injustice in our country, we decided that the importance of our elections had reached a new level and that our topic should be related to our election process. We selected the following essay topic:

Since voting is so important, what do you think should be done to ensure every citizen can exercise his or her right to vote in Nov. 2020 without endangering their lives? Are there better solutions than in-person voting, and voting on election day only? If voting is not done in person, how do we account for election security and making sure that our votes are counted? How can we make sure that the voices of working people are heard in this election?

Essays were judged on understanding, writing style, and significance to Labor Unions. Applicants were encouraged to draw on the experiences of their families and communities.

With many excellent and  thoughtful essays, selecting winners was difficult. Congratulations to winners of the 2020-2021 awards.

1st Christine St. Peter $ 1,500.00 Michael St. Peter/IBEW # 2320 University NH Junior
2nd Alysse Cleasby $1,000.00 Brian Cleasby/AFGE Local #948 Bates College Freshman
3rd Tara Fitzpatrick $ 750.00 Brian Fitzpatrick/APWU Local #230 Lehigh University Senior
4th Olivia Montine $500.00 Kimberly Montine/AFT #1044 Seton Hall University Senior
5th Timothy Holmes $500.00 Kathryn Holmes/AFT #1044 Saint Anselm College Senior