The Joseph E. Martin ESL Scholarship

Criteria: ($500 Award) The Joseph E. Martin ESL Scholarship will be awarded to a sophomore, junior or senior with financial need and whose first language is not English. Applicants must submit a short essay about how mastering the English language has had an impact on his or her educational and professional careers.

Becoming an English as a Second Language tutor was a volunteer endeavor that the late Joseph Martin, a clerk in the WSU Police Department from 2001 to 2005, was encouraged to try by one of his Worcester State professors. “Ultimately, it struck a chord with him,” said University Police Chief Rosemary Naughton. “He developed a passion for it.”

Joe, who taught himself Portuguese, left Worcester State in February 2005 to teach English in Brazil. He had just celebrated the grand opening of a bar he co-owned in that country shortly before his life was tragically cut short.

Wanting to help keep Joe’s spirit alive, Naughton said, her thoughts eventually focused on his zeal for teaching English to people from other countries, and she established a scholarship fund in his name.