Savings Bank Of Walpole Announces Recipients of Julie Tewksbury Scholarship for Working Moms

Keene, NH – Savings Bank of Walpole is pleased to announce that Rebekah Murphy and Christina MacMaster 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 third 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.

As the mother of two boys, Richmond resident Rebekah Murphy keeps busy juggling two jobs. She’s currently a server at Fireworks Restaurant in the evening and during the day she works as a receptionist at Heaven Hair Gallery Salon.

Working at the salon has inspired her to go back to school and pursue a career in cosmetology. She plans to use her scholarship to help fund her tuition at Keene Beauty Academy which she’ll start attending this the fall. “I’m so grateful and thankful for being selected as one of the scholarship winners,” says Rebekah. “This will help relieve some of the burden of paying the tuition at Keene Beauty Academy. It truly means so much and is so helpful both for me and my family.”

Christina MacMaster is well on her way to realizing her dream of becoming an Assistant District Attorney — but getting to this point hasn’t been easy. The Troy resident and single mother of two boys moved to New Hampshire in 2018 and was faced with the adversity of homelessness. But she worked at various jobs including as an LNA at Maplewood Nursing Home, to secure a home for her family. Fast forward to 2023 and Christina recently earned her social services certificate from River Valley Community College and is currently a junior at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) where she’s a double major studying human services and psychology. After graduating, she plans to go to law school.

“Winning this scholarship is empowering and will assist me in reaching my goals of graduating with my first bachelor’s in 2024 from SNHU and then transitioning into law school,” says Christina. “I am beyond thankful for being a recipient of one of the scholarships from SBW and equally excited to see where this journey takes me!

“Savings Bank of Walpole is honored to recognize Rebekah and Christina for being named as our scholarship recipients,” says Mark Bodin, President for Savings Bank of Walpole. “We’re glad to ultimately help them realize their career goals within our local community and we wish them much success. They truly represent the very reason we offer this scholarship.”

With assets totaling $725 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.