The Mary D. Tateosian Scholarship

Criteria: (Amount Equal to One Full Annual Tuition Award) The Mary D. Tateosian Scholarship will be awarded to a student who meets the following criteria:
• A matriculated student who is enrolled in a degree program;
• A student in his/her sophomore, junior, or senior year of study with a GPA of 2.5 or higher;
• A student who exemplifies industriousness inside and outside the classroom.
Applicants should provide a short essay attesting to their need for this grant, how they meet the criteria, and their education/ career goals, and submit it with the scholarship application.

Mary D. Tateosian, class of 1955, was a dedicated lifelong teacher who taught in the Worcester Public School system. During her career, she touched and truly made a positive impact on many of her students.

Mary grew up in a close-knit Armenian community. Her parents settled in Worcester from Armenia during a very difficult time and when opportunities were limited. She was able to overcome these challenges and was the only one out of five siblings to graduate from college, earning a teaching degree.

Throughout Mary’s life, she set her goals and was resourceful in achieving them. She recognized the importance of continuing her education and while working full-time and raising a family, she completed her master’s degree at Worcester State, with thirty credits beyond what was required. This proved to be invaluable later on in life when she became a single parent and sole provider of her children.

Mary was an avid reader and enjoyed the arts—music, plays, opera, and museums. She was a firm believer in education as a means to open new doors and career opportunities. Mary aptly quoted Robert Green Ingersoll in the Class of 1955’s yearbook, “Kindness is the sunshine in which virtue grows.” Mary also noted “her silent, willing assistance not unnoticed.”

Mary’s grateful children, David, Jean and Joan, established this scholarship to honor the values, hopes, and dreams of their beloved mother.