Jamaree Pope is this year’s Newton recipient of a Charles River Regional Chamber scholarship. Pope graduated this year from Newton South High School, where he was a star athlete and noted by his school counselor as “an enjoyable, easygoing, thoughtful kid …respected by everyone at school.” Pope has been mentoring younger Native students in his community and has been involved in Legacy Scholars, Black Student Union, and social justice groups. He will attend Merrimack College, majoring in biology and aiming to be a research scientist.
Denise McQuaide has been named to the newly formed role of Chief of Middle Market Innovation at 2Life Communities. She will be responsible for overseeing 2Life’s strategy for extending its mission to middle market seniors, including the new Opus model from 2Life, which will be opening the doors of its first community in Newton in September. A 40-year veteran of healthcare, senior living operations, and community health services industries, with a background as a nurse practitioner, she has served 2Life as a strategic advisor for four years, guiding its approach to integrating healthcare and housing.
Ashleigh Reade is the voice and dialect coach for The Huntington’s upcoming production of the Tony-Nominated hit play The Hills of California, playing September 12-October 12. Despite its name, the play is actually set in Blackpool, England in the 1950s and 1970s, requiring Reade to research a very specific regional accent of England for training a cast of over 13 actors and understudies.
UMass Amherst graduation
Fifty-eight Newton residents graduated in May with bachelors degrees from the University of Massachusetts Amherst (see article by Bella Ishanyan, UMass Amherst sophomore and former Fig City News intern): Philip M Adams, Taylor Hayes Adams, Malik Adams-Rosa, Felipe Michelon Avila,…