LYNN — The NAACP North Shore Branch has announced Javier (Javi) Patricio Santo as the winner of the Avis Peters Scholarship for 2024. Now in its second year, the scholarship is made possible through the generosity of the family of Avis Peters.
Santo is a recent graduate of Lynn English High School and will attend Brown University in the fall, with the long-term goal of becoming a pediatric cardiovascular surgeon. At Lynn English, he served as president of the Class of 2024, student body ambassador, and leader of the Inclusivity Panel. He was also a two-time volleyball captain and participated in track and field and tennis.
In addition to being a top scholar, Santo founded the Patricio Santo Foundation to assist high-achieving students; the Wings of Compassion Initiative, which aided bed-bound pediatric youth in the Boston metropolitan region; HarvestHope, a local community refrigerator to combat food insecurity; and the Little Yard Library Project, providing free books to children to promote literacy.
The Avis Peters Scholarship assists students from the African diaspora or other minority group who demonstrate academic promise and share a passion for the NAACP mission of eradicating race-based discrimination. The scholarship awards one $2,500 scholarship for a student who exhibits strong leadership skills and is active in school and community.
The North Shore NAACP Branch was founded in 2020 in the wake of the protests that occurred after George Floyd’s murder.
“NAACP North Shore Branch is committed to investing in young people, and we believe that every act of community activism — even a small one — helps turn the world into a better place,” said Kenann McKenzie-DeFranza, branch president. “We hope this scholarship will not only encourage students to become civil rights advocates, but also inspire them to take pride in their area of focus and take a leadership position within it.”