The following was submitted by Wheelock College: 

Wheelock College celebrates Laylin Chong, a Malden local, along with 17 other Passion for Action Scholars at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, November 16, 2011 from 6-9 p.m.

The third Passion for Action Leadership Award Dinner will celebrate the positive social entrepreneurship of the Wheelock scholarship recipients. Dr. Carol R. Johnson, Superintendent of Boston Public Schools, and Dr. Linda N. Nathan, Founder and Co-Headmaster of Boston Arts Academy, will be honored with the 2011 Passion for Action Leadership Award. Karen Keating Ansara, co-founder of the Haiti Fund at the Boston Foundation, will present the keynote address.

Wheelock College’s four-year Passion for Action Scholarship Program is given to greater Boston area students who have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to community service and involvement. Chong received Wheelock College’s highly selective Passion for Action Scholarship in 2008. She is now a senior majoring in Social Work and hopes to pursue an M.S.W. 

Chong graduated from Brighton High in 2008 where she was vice president of the National Honor Society, a peer mediator and a school athlete. She also volunteered for UNICEF, the Red Cross and Project Bread and was an active member of the Gay Straight Alliance, the Latinos In Action Club, the Asian Club and the Key Club.

The mission of the Passion for Action scholarship is to support students in learning to nurture and apply their passion to become leaders for positive change in their communities, the nation and the world. The scholarship is paired with a unique academic program that develops the students’ leadership and community service skills. In May 2012, the first five Passion Scholars, referred to as “Passioneers,” will be graduating. Wheelock plans to award five scholarships each year. The proceeds from the 2011 Passion for Action Leadership Award Dinner will support the growth of this special scholarship program.

For tickets and sponsorship opportunities:

Please contact Lauren Marquis at (617) 879 2328 or lmarquis@wheelock.edu or visit: www.wheelock.edu/wheelock/giving/passion-for-action.