Annual Dave Vigneault Scholarship awarded to student from Springfield International Charter School

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – The annual Dave Vigneault Scholarship was awarded to a Springfield resident, making his voice heard in the world of local politics and using this honor to call on others to do the same.

The 2024 recipient was awarded to Brian Starzyk, who recently graduated from Springfield International Charter School. He will receive a $1,000 scholarship and plans on majoring in Political Science at Providence College in Rhode Island this fall.

The scholarship was created to pay tribute to former State Representative Dave Vigneault, who died in 2019 from Pancreatic Cancer, and to his lifelong commitment to political activism, Public Service, and Social Justice.

Vigneault, who had a lifelong commitment to Social Justice, was arrested in Mississippi in 1965, after joining the Freedom Riders and traveling to Mississippi to help register black voters. His arrest and subsequent jailing served as inspiration for the 1988 movie ‘Mississippi Burning’.

The scholarship award ceremony will be held on Monday, July 29th at 1 p.m. in the Springfield City Council Chambers.

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