Business Students Win Chamber of Commerce Award

Beginning in 2014, the Marlborough Regional Chamber of Commerce will be offering on an annual basis, a $500 award to a student member of the Business Professionals of America from the each of the programs at Marlborough High School, Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School and Hudson High School.

The award will be sponsored by the chamber’s scholarship fund through the auspices of the Marlborough Regional Community Foundation.

The idea for the award was presented to the Foundation Board by President Darren McLaughlin.

“For years I have seen the efforts of the students and advisors of the BPA programs in our local schools work so hard to raise the funds necessary to send deserving students to the national competition who are invited to compete at the National level based on their performance at the Regional and State levels. I thought that some kind of an award from the Chamber of Commerce, an association of local businesses made sense. I presented the idea to the Foundation Board and it was well received. Cathy Mogavero , the then Executive Vice President of the Chamber and I met with Edwin Ramos, Sharon Mattingly and Jennifer Belisle at Marlborough High School to discuss the award. We honed some ideas and Mr. Ramos took on the task of formulating the criterion for the award. Then it was up to the students and their Advisors.”

Susanne Morreale Leeber, President and CEO of the Marlborough Regional Chamber of Commerce said, “I love the idea. The slogan for Business Professionals of America is “Today’s students. Tomorrow’s business professionals.” What more appropriate association of students could we, as a chamber of commerce, acknowledge for their accomplishments?”

This year there were two recipients of the award; Ashley Beauchamp, a senior at Marlborough High School and Abigail Mangsen a sophomore at Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School. “These girls should be so proud of their accomplishments, they are so deserving of this recognition”, said McLaughlin.

Cathy Mogavero retired from her position at the chamber last December after 15 years of dedicated service to the communities which it serves. McLaughlin was asked to emcee her retirement party. On that occasion, he announced that the award had been approved and that the following spring the chamber, in conjunction with the Marlborough Regional Community Foundation would be presenting the first annual Cathy Gregory Mogavero Business Professional of America Awards.

Submitted by the Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School.