2026 Recipients Of Julie Tewksbury Scholarship For Working Moms
Savings Bank of Walpole is pleased to announce that Kora Michaud, Claire Pass, and Kara Serasis have been chosen as this year’s recipients of The Julie Tewksbury Scholarship for Working Moms. Each of them received a $1,000 scholarship.
2026 is the fifth year for the SBW-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 is named for 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.
Kora Michaud, a licensed funeral director and former hospice caregiver, balances life as a single mother of three children with her work in funeral service at Fletcher & Foley Funeral Home and education in business and leadership. She’s committed to improving how families experience grief support, end-of-life care, and funerals. The scholarship will assist her as she graduates with a BA in Business Administration in October, then goes on to attend law school.
Claire Pass serves as a third grade teacher at Dublin Christian Academy, while raising her three children with her spouse. Her focus is on language arts, driven by a passion for teaching kids how to read and write. Claire’s scholarship award will assist with her efforts to acquire specialized training in teaching students with dyslexia.
Kara Serasis and her husband are raising a spirited four-year-old as she works as a therapist trained in dance/movement therapy. Her work with families through Rise for Baby and Family has inspired her to create additional playgroups and parent groups both there and in her private practice that foster communities of support for families. She plans to use her scholarship award to help her attend perinatal mental health training.
“It’s our honor to present Kora, Claire, and Kara with this year’s Julie Tewksbury scholarship award,” said Mark Bodin, SBW President. “They’re exactly the kind of women whose hard work and aspirations the scholarship was created to support. We’re grateful to them for focusing their talents and energy here in our communities.”
About Savings Bank of Walpole
With assets totaling $850 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 call (603) 352-1822.
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.
