Savings Bank Of Walpole Announces Recipients Of The Julie Tewksbury Scholarship For Working Moms

Keene, NH – Savings Bank of Walpole is pleased to announce that Jessica Bullock and Season Smith have been chosen as this year’s recipients of The Julie Tewksbury Scholarship for Working Moms. Each of them received a $1,000 scholarship.

This marks the second year for the Bank-sponsored scholarship which was created to help support the efforts of working moms who want to grow professionally and personally as well as become great leaders in their fields and in the community. The scholarship pays homage to longtime Bank employee and working mom Julie Tewksbury, who served as Senior VP of Operations for Savings Bank of Walpole before retiring in 2020. Applications for this year’s scholarship were reviewed by a small panel comprised of local community leaders, bank employees and Julie herself.

Jessica Bullock lives in Surry along with her husband, their three daughters, a dog, two cats and chickens. For the past three years, she has worked as a Medical Assistant in Primary Care at Cheshire Medical Center — two of which were during the pandemic. During that time, she played a key role as a member of the original team chosen to screen symptomatic patients who were no longer allowed to enter the hospital. Working in a tent set up by the National Guard, Jessica was also a member of the original COVID testing team at Cheshire Medical Center where she and colleagues endured challenging conditions including extreme weather conditions. “It was definitely a stressful time but I’m really proud of what we accomplished together as a team,” says Jessica.  Going through an unprecedented experience like this triggered Jessica to think about what she really loved about her job. “In Primary Care, as in all of health care, we are quite understaffed, and we’re a very busy department. As such, I don’t always get the chance to spend as much time with my patients. But when I do it really makes a difference. So, I asked myself ‘how can I do more’? And that’s when I decided I would start the path to becoming an oncology nurse.” Jessica applied and was accepted into River Valley Community College’s nursing program and plans to use her scholarship money to help pay her tuition. “I’m taking a Microbiology class this summer and winning this scholarship is a big deal — it will pay for this class plus the books I will need.”

Swanzey resident Season Smith is mom to 13-year-old daughter Kennedy and is a Licensed Massage Therapist. She has been the sole practitioner of her own practice in Keene since 2003 and currently serves 60-75 clients where she’s passionate about providing wellness support for mind, body and spirit. With a goal of being able to support and help as many people in the community as possible, she’s always looking for ways to expand her knowledge and expertise in her field by studying and attending workshops.

Season’s next goal is to be able to make in-home visits to those who can’t travel due to vulnerability or circumstance. With the scholarship money she’s received, she plans to attend a workshop to become certified in Hospice Massage. “I would like to have the knowledge to care for the dying population – to help them be more comfortable and find a bit of spiritual peace,” says Season. “A financial scholarship of this magnitude will help me pay for all aspects of attending the certification class, as well as purchase the equipment I will need to be able to travel to people who are unable to get to me.” When she’s not improving the quality of life for others with her therapeutic massages, Season spends time with her husband and daughter and enjoys hiking, camping, gardening, and playing with the family dogs.

 “We’re honored to recognize Jessica and Season on being named as our scholarship recipients,” says Mark Bodin, President for Savings Bank of Walpole.  “Their hard work and dedication to the health field are inspiring and we’re glad to ultimately help them further their career goals within our local community.  These two recipients represent the very reason we offer this scholarship.”

With assets totaling $669 million, the Bank offers a wide range of financial products, including services to individuals, businesses and organizations. The Bank is affiliated with NH Mutual Bancorp, further enhancing the quality products and services it provides to customers. The Bank is a partner of the NHTrust¹ brand to better serve customers by providing localized trust and wealth management products and services. Savings Bank of Walpole is an equal housing lender, and member of the FDIC. For more information visit www.walpolebank.com or call (603) 352-1822.

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¹Products and services made available through NHTrust are not insured by the FDIC or any other agency of the United States and are not deposits or obligations or guaranteed by the Bank and may lose value.