Jenn Murphy Scholarship

About Jenn

Southern Vermont League Girls Cross Country Champion and accomplished ballerina
In her freshman year of high school, Jennifer Murphy joined the Brattleboro Union High School Cross Country track team. Her first race she placed a surprising 6th place. She went on to have a tremendous season. After finishing 12th in the state meet, she qualified for Southern Vermont League. On her 15th birthday, she ran and she won, becoming the Southern Vermont League Girls Cross Country Champion as a freshman. She also qualified to run in the New Englands. Dance was big in Jenn's life and she took classes for many years at the Brattleboro School of Dance. She was part of many performances, including starring as Little Red Riding Hood in the 1991 BSD production of Wolf Tales.
Honor Roll Scholar
Jenn loved learning and was a naturally curious person. She enjoyed English, Science, and French, and had a unique ability to successfully balance her academics with sports and dance, as well as an active social life with many friends. The 'Jenn Murphy Scholarship' is to be awarded to a Brattleboro Union High School senior who has demonstrated extraordinary accomplishments in their extra-curricular endeavors, and who also maintains at least a 'B' average, and who shares a commitment to ‘living in the spirit of Jenn.’
Activist & Humanitarian
Jenn's extracurricular passions preceded her but her compassion was also an enormous part of what made her so special. She was an active member of several groups at BUHS and had a deep conviction for Human and Animal Rights. She was an active member of 'Student with Global Concerns,' 'Amnesty International,' and 'Student for Animal Rights' all of which met during after-school hours, on the student's own time. Her time was spent not only educating herself but by taking action, writing letters, for example, to put pressure on governments violating human rights, many times for specific individuals. This awareness of the world outside of ourselves, and the desire and commitment to make it better is why we are awarding this to a Brattleboro Union High School senior who shares a commitment to ‘living in the spirit of Jenn.’
Making friends came easy to Jenn, who was a dedicated teammate and student, with many shining qualities along with her personality and her high grades, which we are celebrating and honoring through this scholarship. If you comb through her photos and watch her videos, she was not only talented and focused and bright, she was hilarious, spontaneous, adventurous, insightful, and interesting. Her flare for life was magnetic, her creative and positive energy almost palpable. Jenn was such a memorable force, that people she never even met, people in her school and her community, still feel her loss almost 30 years later. Hundreds of people whose lives she touched have come together in the 'Jenn Murphy Scholarship’ Group on Facebook, which is a wonderful tribute to this incredible young girl whose effect on our little town, in her short life, was so tremendous. Through stories, clippings, pictures, and memories posted each day, the community has been championing Jenn's memory readily and steadily, coming together in a tidal wave of graduating classes, spanning a decade or more, from 1990 through 2000 and beyond. Together they continue to raise these monies to make sure this scholarship is her name, flourishes for many, many generations of amazing seniors at BUHS to come! Looking through the stories or joining the group is a great way to get a feel for who Jenn was, and the other people highlighted often include others who emulate her spirit and what we are looking for. 'Living in the spirit of Jenn,' means showing a dedication to humanitarianism and to strengthening the town of Brattleboro's community and/or the world abroad. 'Living in the spirit of Jenn,' means demonstrating outstanding perseverance and commitment to living outside oneself, with a determination towards bettering the world around you. 'Living in the spirit of Jenn,' means and exuding the civic-minded compassion which makes our little slice of the world, the town of Brattleboro, Vermont, so unique and unforgettable. The 'Jenn Murphy Scholarship' application is here on the 'Jenn Murphy Scholarship' website, under the menu heading, 'APPLICATION' on the pull-down menu. The deadline is MAY 1, 2022 at midnight EST. Be sure to read through everything on the website and know what you will need BEFORE you apply. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out using the 'Contact' menu.
 


 
Good luck BUHS seniors!
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