Congratulations to Lekha Sapers, our 2017/2018 annual $1000 College Scholarship recipient!

Dr. Semco with 2017-2018 Semco Orthodontics $1000 College Scholarship recipient Lekha Sapers, a highly involved and ambitious St. George's student.

St. George’s student, Jamestown resident awarded scholarship.

Semco Orthodontics is excited to announce the recipient of its fourth annual $1000 College Scholarship. Passionate and highly involved St. George’s student, Lekha Sapers, was chosen for her response to this year’s prompt, “How can you change the world?"

High school students throughout Newport County were challenged with this question, however only one ‘amazed’ the SO Scholarship Committee with her thought-provoking essay themed, “However small, any change is important.”

In her essay, Sapers states “the small impacts you make in others' lives have the most resonance; those small impacts keep accumulating until they create a larger impact,” she said. 

She plans to study science and math in college and also give back to the community. “After fulfilling my dreams in terms of attaining an education and a career, I someday hope to help other kids achieve their own goals when they're looking to pursue a higher education,” Sapers said.

With the same passion for education, SO owner Dr. Robert S. Semco established the scholarship in 2014 with the desire to help local youths achieve their goals. “I believe it is very important to provide opportunities for our kids to grow personally, as well as academically,” Semco said. A Tufts University and Mayo Clinic graduate, Semco understands the high costs associated with higher education and wishes to help alleviate those for local students.

To be eligible for the scholarship, the applicant had to be a freshman, sophomore, junior or senior at a public, private, parochial, vocational or charter school, or a home school program. The applicant also had to be a resident of Portsmouth, Middletown, Newport, Tiverton or Jamestown, R.I. Patients of Dr. Semco and their immediate families, who live outside this area, met the residency requirement.

Keep your eyes open for next year's scholarship!