Following Festival McBride, a Deborah McBride scholarship fundraising event, the Luckiest Foundation awarded four Columbia High School students a total of $25,000 in scholarships, with Claire Wissel receiving the largest award of $10,000. The scholarships recognize students who plan to uphold Deborah McBride’s values supporting equality, education and the importance of truthful, reliable information in society in their college endeavors.
McBride’s husband, Brendan Hermes, created the Luckiest Foundation in honor of McBride, a member of the South Orange-Maplewood community and mother of three who worked as the vice president of communications at A+E Networks and had a passion for writing and honest storytelling.
Wissel described the moment she learned she had received the Luckiest Foundation’s top scholarship as both emotional and unexpected. “I couldn’t stop smiling,” she said.
Wissel will attend Lehigh University in the fall and plans to major in Political Science with hopes of pursuing a future career in public policy and legislation. Her passion for government stems from a desire to create meaningful reform and improve the lives of others through policy.
“I want to be able to make and reform legislation to help people,” Wissel said.
Claire Wissel with her parents Katie and Kyle. (Photo by Aidan Heindl)
Wissel’s goals reflect the mission of the Luckiest Foundation, which encourages equality, understanding and access to education for all students regardless of socioeconomic background.
One issue Wissel said she feels particularly passionate about is widening economic disparity. She believes that addressing inequality and ensuring fair opportunities for all individuals is one of the most important challenges facing society.
“Right now there is a big economic gap, and I think learning any way to fix this issue will help us all,” she said. Beyond academics, Wissel hopes to continue fighting for equality through volunteer work, aiming to bridge this large economic gap.
The Luckiest Foundation places a strong emphasis on these values, Hermes said, believing that every student deserves access to educational opportunities and reliable information. McBride strongly believed in truth, fairness and compassion within communities, emphasizing that misinformation and prejudice weaken society as a whole, he said.
The scholarship winners were selected not only for their academic achievements but also for their commitment to promoting understanding, respect and social responsibility.
In addition to Wissel, three other Columbia High School students were each awarded $5,000 scholarships: Owen Shubart, who will attend the University of Michigan; Ellie Tamir-Hoehn, who will attend the University of St Andrews in Scotland; and Scarlett Friedland, who will attend Skidmore College.
Each student is committed to the responsible spread of information, educational equity and the fight against misinformation and prejudice.
Festival McBride, held in March, raised funds for the Foundation’s scholarship program and brought together students, families and community members for an evening of celebration. Guests participated in auctions featuring a wide variety of gift baskets and prizes, ranging from self-care products to tickets for events at Madison Square Garden. Irish tap dancers performed throughout the evening, maintaining the lively atmosphere and honoring the festival’s Irish-inspired theme. The strong turnout and support from guests allowed the Foundation to expand its scholarship offerings and continue supporting deserving students.
The four scholarship winners represent the values Deborah McBride held and the positive impact those running the Luckiest Foundation hope to maintain in the community for years to come.
Willem Pohl is an 11th grade student at Columbia High School who is working with Village Green as a paid freelancer through a grant from the NJ Civic Information Consortium.
