MAMARONECK, NY — Carine Leslie of Rye and Cassie White of New Rochelle Will Each Receive $2,500 In Recognition of Their Academic Excellence and Demonstrated Commitment to Irish Culture
The Sound Shore St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee, which founded and organizes the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Mamaroneck since 2012, today announced it has selected its two inaugural Sound Shore Irish Culture Scholars: Carine Leslie, 18, of Rye and Catherine “Cassie” White of New Rochelle. Both girls will receive $2,500 to go their academic expenses as they enter college in September.
Cassie and Carine were selected due to their exemplary records of academic achievement, their shared commitment to their communities and their commitment to promoting Irish heritage. Both girls will be entering college in the fall; Cassie will study acting and stage design at Case Western University in Ohio and Carine will study psychology at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania.
“The purpose of the Sound Shore St. Patrick’s Day Parade is to promote the development of a strong community, bound together by a shared appreciation of Irish culture, the arts and public service,” said Christopher Regan, chair of the Sound Shore St. Patrick’s Day Parade scholarship committee. “Young as they are, both Cassie and Carine really exemplify these values and it makes us proud as a committee to be able to support their studies and their love of their Irish hertiage.”
Carine Leslie’s love of Irish culture first manifested itself in an early commitment to Irish dance, which she began at age six and has since reached Championship level. In addition to the rigorous schedule of training and competition that dance requires, she also makes time to expose younger children to Irish dance through dance outs and school-based performances. Academically, Carine has been on the High Honor Roll at Rye High School since freshman year and has won various academic awards, including the Global History Award, the AP Photography Award and the Rye High School Scholar designation. She is a member of the National Honor Society was named an AP Scholar in July 2012.
In addition to her academic pursuits, Carine founded Let’s Erase the Stigma, a school-based activist group aimed at raising awareness for mental illness, particularly among young people. She is an avid singer and member of her school’s vocal ensemble as well as a choir member at Resurrection Church in Rye.
Cassie White’s love of Irish heritage first came through stories about her grandmother and namesake, Catherine McDaid O’Donnell, who was widowed and raised seven children on her own in America and lived to age 98. Cassie then developed a fascination for the Gaelic language, which she intends to study at college, as well as the music of Orla Gartland and other Irish folk singers. The latter led her to establish regular café performances at New Rochelle High School, where she also serves as President and Treasurer of the Theater Works Club. In 2008, she was chosen to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Cassie is also an avid volunteer; she has organized the holiday, food and coat drive at the Sound Shore Medical Center, she mentors at the Holy Family Youth Ministry and she received the President’s National Volunteer Service Award in 2013. She is also a committed Girl Scout, having been a member since early childhood and most recently, serving as Patrol Leader, Senior Patrol Leader and Youth Representative to the 100th Anniversary Committee. Moreover, Cassie’s entrepreneurial spirit led her to establish her own cookie business, “Cassie’s Cookies”, she successfully sold at school events.
The Sound Shore St. Patrick’s Day Parade Organization is a community-based, volunteer-led group organized to promote Irish culture and community in the Sound Shore towns of Mamaroneck, Larchmont, Rye, New Rochelle, Harrison, Port Chester and Pelham. In addition to the annual parade and scholarship awards, the organization supports numerous Irish cultural events and outings throughout the year. For more information about the Sound Shore St. Patrick’s Day Parade Organization and its activities, visit www.soundshoreparade.com.