HRTC HBHS 2026 Senior Scholarship Award Announcement
The Hollis Republican Town Committee (HRTC) is proud to mark the 8th year of awarding a $2,500 college scholarship to a distinguished HBHS senior. Thanks to the generosity of our members, HRTC continues to support the community and make this scholarship possible.
This year, the selection committee reviewed 12 well-deserving applicants. The application offered a clear format for students to highlight their high school involvement and achievements, and to articulate their higher-education plans and career goals. The committee’s evaluation was guided by HBHS’s core values — Integrity, Intellectual Curiosity, Innovation, Individuality, and Involvement in the HBHS community — and conducted through a blind review. All personal identifiers were removed, and candidates were assigned reference numbers.
We are thrilled to announce that the 2026 HRTC Scholarship is awarded to Ella Callahan of Brookline, NH.
Ella is a person of character and a natural leader. Throughout high school, she made a remarkable impact through Student Council, Spanish Club, and extensive community service and volunteering. One teacher shared, “Ella is an amazing student and human being!” A favorite highlight of her high school years came as a sophomore, when she was nominated — on the strength of her leadership, service, and academic record — to represent HBHS at the HOBY Leadership Conference. HOBY (the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Foundation) is dedicated to inspiring and developing youth to lead lives of leadership, service, and innovation.
After graduation, Ella will attend the College of William & Mary, where she plans to major in psychology. She aims to pursue a PhD in psychology and aspires to a career as an aviation accident investigator or criminal psychologist.
HRTC is grateful for the many people whose generosity makes this scholarship possible.
About the Scholarship
The annual HRTC Scholarship is an opportunity to recognize the hard work and personal drive of a Hollis Brookline High School graduating senior. We continue to have a high number of applicants, and are pleased that we can provide an impactful dollar amount. It is a highlight of our HRTC efforts each year.
What this Scholarship has meant to past recipients
"Thank you for honoring me with the extremely generous HBHS scholarship. I am so inspired by the faith you have in me, and will do my best to be worthy of this scholarship. We are in a challenging era, but civic minded organizations like yours give me hope. Thank you again for your generosity!"
- Judith Boyd, 2024 HRTC Scholarship Recipient
"I am very grateful and thankful for the HRTC and the scholarship they awarded me at the conclusion of my senior year. I was and am honored to have won a scholarship from such a remarkable organization that does important work for the local community. The scholarship money has helped me offset the lofty costs of college tuition as well as other education-related expenses. I am studying electrical engineering at Northeastern University and am currently on co-op this semester. This means I'm working full-time in Hollis, at Farm Design, helping to design biomedical equipment.”
- Oliver Hugh, 2021 HRTC Scholarship Recipient