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The Carroll Family and Michael C. Rossiter Scholarship was created because Sylvester and Ruth Carroll believed in rewarding students who demonstrate strength of character, a strong will and sense of commitment. Each year since 2017 it has been awarded to a York Hospital student volunteer who demonstrates these traits every day – and we could not be more pleased to announce that our 2021 recipient is Olivia Joy Kallay of Kittery, Maine.

Olivia, a graduating senior at Berwick Academy, has been volunteering at York Hospital since she was in middle school! That first volunteer position during middle school was assisting the Dining & Nutrition Team delivering trays and newspapers to patients. A self-described “happy introvert,” Olivia attributes the patient and staff interaction during that first volunteer experience as helping prepare her for a new high school, new friends and a new future. It worked — she has been successful with both her studies and activities throughout her high school career.

During all four years of high school, Olivia has played a sport each season (cross country, ice hockey and tennis). She has led the Student Wellness Advising team, edited the yearbook, tutored peers and participated in community service through the Outreach Club. Not one to miss an opportunity to feed her creative side, Olivia also enjoys playing the alto saxophone and piano!

Olivia has spent summer breaks behind the cash register at Yummies Candy Shop in Kittery. Additionally, she happily made time to volunteer to help with a three-year-long file project for the York Hospital Breast Care Team. That opportunity indulged her quiet nature, as it was a one-person job (the library equivalent of working “deep in the stacks”). The Breast Care team couldn’t have been more appreciative. Breast Care Coordinator Yvonne Balzano noted: “Olivia was dependable, hard-working, needed very little supervision. . . and we couldn’t have completed the job without her help.”

Even with days filled with extracurricular activities, Olivia is graduating with a GPA of 97.13, and will head to Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY, in September. Olivia is particularly interested in STEM studies (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) and is looking forward to exploring several directions before committing to a specific path. A self-professed concrete thinker, she reveals, “Concepts in science and math make more sense to me than the humanities.” Right now, she’s leaning toward math and statistics, or biochemistry, with a minor in Spanish and plans for a master’s degree following Vassar. Olivia foresees a career filled with research and analysis, and perhaps her dream job as a pharmacologist. She adds: ”To be on the forefront of science, impacting our world for the better, would be a dream come true.”

Olivia is the daughter of proud parents Diana Kallay, York Hospital breast care sonographer, and Scott Kallay, York Hospital Facilities Manager, pictured here with Olivia. Although her dedication and commitment will be missed at York Hospital come fall, we are excited for Olivia’s adventures to come. Whatever path she chooses, we know she will make a positive impact, in her own quiet way.

About the Carroll Family & Michael C. Rossiter Scholarship: A $3,000 scholarship is awarded annually to a high school senior planning to enter an institution of higher learning and currently residing in one of York Hospital’s service areas: Kittery, Eliot, The Berwicks, Sanford, Lebanon, Kennebunk, Wells, Moody, Ogunquit and York. Applicants must be active York Hospital volunteers, must have provided a minimum of 50 hours of volunteer service, and must explain how York Hospital volunteerism has made a difference in their lives and what they have learned through the experience. More than one $3,000 scholarship may be awarded each year, at the discretion of the scholarship committee. For more information, please contact Community Relations at 207-351-2385 or [email protected].