Moira Kelly, president of EXPLO, is pleased to announce the 2022 recipient of the Richard Steele Scholarship. One student from Presque Isle has been selected to receive a full scholarship to attend EXPLO Pre-College + Career for two weeks in July and August at Wellesley College in Massachusetts.
In addition, the scholarship provides individualized college counseling, beginning upon the students’ return to high school in the fall and continuing through their acceptance to college.
Selected as the 2022 Richard Steele Scholar is Fiona Wu. She is a freshman this year.
The Richard Steele Scholarship was established to honor Richard “Dick” Steele for his great support of EXPLO and his tremendous contributions to the field of college and university admissions. Born in Lewiston and a graduate of Lewiston High School, Steele earned his A.B. at Harvard College, his master’s degree at the University of Vermont, and his doctorate at the University of Wisconsin. His career in college admissions included leadership positions at Vassar College, University of Vermont, Carleton College, and Duke University, before returning to Maine to become dean of admissions at Bowdoin College. Upon his retirement, Steele became a novelist, continued to work as a consultant to the College Board, taught at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and became an EXPLO trustee.
As an EXPLO trustee, Steele was instrumental in assisting with the development of the Northern Maine Scholarship Program, with a focus on northern Aroostook County. After his death in the spring of 2010, the program was renamed the Richard Steele Scholarship Program in his honor.
For more than 45 years, EXPLO has brought together bright, curious, and motivated young people to challenge themselves, discover the world of people and ideas, and experience the joy of learning. EXPLO (explo.org) offers innovative summer enrichment programs for students in grades 4-12 who hail from across the U.S. and more than 70 countries. The programs are held on the campuses of Wellesley College, Sarah Lawrence College, and Wheaton College.
