A total of six scholarship winners, winning $105,000 in college assistance, were announced at Monday’s virtual event
by Gary Adornato
The 82nd annual McCormick Unsung Heroes Awards took place Monday night, in a virtual format, and two Unsung Hero honorees were announced as winners of the $40,000 Charles Perry McCormick scholarship. Maria Uben of Reginald F. Lewis High School and Wesley Beckett of Owings Mills High School were the grand prize winners.
Victoria Garrick, who served as the keynote speaker at the 82nd annual Unsung Heroes Awards, poses with Wesley Garrick of Owings Mills High School and Maria Uben of Reginald F. Lewis High School, who each won a $40,000 Charles Perry McCormick Scholarship.
In addition, Evelyn Mirabile of Patapsco High School and Ragland Powell of St. Mary’s High School each won $7,500 scholarships, while Caroline Godine of McDonogh School and Alex Mink of The John Carroll School each won $5,000 scholarships. The total scholarship money awarded on Monday was $105,000.
In all, 98 Unsung Heroes were honored for their unselfish and substantial contributions to the success of their teams. The evening also included a congratulatory message from Victoria Garrick, a former Division I volleyball player, TED Talk speaker, podcast host and mental health advocate.
Uben is a member of the women’s volleyball team at Reginald Lewis. When her team needed a middle blocker and setter, she stepped in without hesitation or prior experience to benefit the team. When presented with challenges, Uben consistently put in extra effort to master any new skill to make the team better. She is known for being the team’s cheerleader, often writing letters of encouragement to her teammates, despite having English as a second language.
In the words of her coach, “She is the ideal teammate when it comes to unselfish team play.”
Beckett, a member of the football team at Owings Mills, made sacrifices for the team on and off of the football field. During the pandemic, when the team was down an offensive lineman, he volunteered to play because he knew it was the best thing for the team, despite his desire to play running back. Beckett is described by his coach as “the ultimate teammate and student-athlete since he stepped on the campus four years ago.”
When a freshman teammate was having difficulty transitioning into the football program, Beckett guided him through drills and gave academic advice to ensure his teammate’s success.
Pictured above: (From left) Ragland Powell III of St. Mary’s, Alex Mink of John Carroll, Wesley Beckett of Owings Mills, Victoria Garrick, Maria Uben of Reginald Lewis, Evelyn Mirabile of Pataptsco and Caroline Godine of McDonogh.
