SOUTH PORTLAND — The South Portland Housing Authority is pleased to announce the 2022 recipient of the Laurie Carr Education & Training Scholarship, which provides up to $2,500 to South Portland Housing Authority residents pursuing technical training or higher education.
The scholarship is named in honor of Carr, a former South Portland Housing Authority resident who earned a college degree, moved her family out of public housing and is today a proud homeowner. Carr previously served as a member of the SPHA Board of Commissioners and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the South Portland Housing Development Corporation. Since 2013, the South Portland Housing Authority has awarded the Laurie Carr scholarship to a deserving student each year, totaling more than $20,000.
This year’s recipient of the Laurie Carr scholarship is Keiana Alabre, a member of the Colgate University Class of 2024, who previously earned the Fall 2021 Dean’s Award for academic excellence. She is a political science major and a graduate of Cape Elizabeth High School who plans to use the scholarship to complete a semester studying abroad in London. Alabre spent the summer of 2022 interning at the Cumberland County Courthouse in Portland.
In 2020, the Portland Press Herald interviewed Laurie Carr about the scholarship that bears her name: https://www.pressherald.com/2020/09/06/bill-nemitz-true-grit-from-public-housing-to-a-scholarship-that-bears-her-name/. For more information about South Portland Housing Authority scholarships, visit https://spha.net/scholarships/.
Established in 1943, the South Portland Housing Authority (SPHA) provides quality housing for low to moderate income, elderly, individuals with disabilities and families in need. The SPHA provides affordable rental housing to more than 1,100 households including rental assistance through programs such as the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV). For more information visit http://www.spha.net/.