Lynn English senior wins scholarship

LYNN – Lynn English High School senior Anjeza Beharaj is the recipient of the newly established John J. Donovan Scholarship, a permanent endowment at Boston University.The scholarship has been created in honor of Donovan’s late father, John J. Donovan Sr., who was a 1938 Boston University School of Education alumnus and deputy superintendent of the Lynn Public Schools. The purpose is to provide annual awards based on financial need to worthy students enrolled at Boston University who are also graduates of LEHS, with a preference for students who have high math scores.”The purpose of the award is to give a worthy student an opportunity and a chance to hit a new platform,” Donovan said. “Inspiration and hope is really important for young people. If we are going to turn around and make the next generation better, they have to know it’s possible.”LEHS guidance counselor Matthew Wilkins said after reviewing the candidates, Beharaj was a perfect fit.”She is an incredible all-around student, participates in a lot of activities, is well respected by the faculty and her peers and we couldn’t have thought of a better candidate,” he said.Beharaj said she is thankful she has been chosen for the scholarship.”I am in complete awe and I have so much gratitude,” she said. “This is awesome and giving me a great opportunity. Now I can have a better chance at a better future than my parents did.”Beharaj, who is number two in her class, was born in Albania. She moved to the United States in 1999 and has lived in Lynn ever since. She said it was her life in Albania that showed her the importance of hard work and getting a good education.”We lived in a place where there was communism so a lot of people were poor and had to make do,” Beharaj said. “I have seen how hard people have to work and the lifestyle they were living. That showed me it is important to do hard work, do well in school, get good grades. It is your future and you don’t want to mess with that. I feel like getting a good education is important because it is about generations. If the next generation doesn’t get a good education then we can’t move forward as a human race.”She has also received a scholarship for her excellence in Latin and has been on the LEHS Latin team, of which she is the captain, through all four years of high school. While she has a passion for languages, Beharaj will be attending BU in the fall as a pre-medical student majoring in biochemistry.”I find it fascinating to know all these things that maybe 50 years ago we had no idea existed and now we can see right in front of us the atoms and quarks,” Beharaj said. “It is good to help people, to know that you can do something for others. In medicine you can see directly, their face smiling after you help them.”