This year, the Ashland Business Association [ABA] awards Ashley Sachs and Thomas Giglia each a $1,500 ABA Scholarship Award.

The business association’s Scholarship Commitee selects high school seniors residing within Ashland students whom best demonstrate good work ethics, motivation, creativity and business/community interests.

“I am impressed with the accomplishments of the applicants and thoroughly enjoy reading their ideas on how to change the Ashland community for the better. The applicants are diverse in their academic achievements, extracurricular activities and accolades yet those who are chosen seem to have personal drive as a common denominator. It is a pleasure getting to meet them on senior award day and shake their hand. In their short time as young adults they have already contributed to the community of Ashland in a positive way. If it wasn’t for the generous donations of the Ashland Business community we wouldn’t be able to continue this program and so we are grateful to the Ashland businesses who’ve donated and made this scholarship program a success year after year,” says Chrissy Reynolds, ABA Scholarship Committee Chair and owner of Annemarie’s Dance Centre. 

 

Thomas Giglia will attend Tufts University studying Civil and Enviornmental Engineering in the fall. During his time at Ashland High School he was a class officer from 2021-2023, and was the Student Body Representative for School Committee Meetings during both his Junior and Senior years. In addition to receiving this scholarship from the ABA, he was also awarded a Coaches Award in Soccer during his Sophmore year. More impressively, Thomas ranks .5% of students nationally as a recipient of the National Mert Scholar Award, and earned the AP Scholar with Distinction. 

To complement his academic achievements, Thomas also worked his way up to Eagle Scout over the course of six years, earning 26 merit badges on topics like community service, cooking and first aid.

 Ashley Sachs will attend Syracuse University studying Political Science (Pre-Law) in the fall. Ashley is a proud National Honor Society(NHS) Inductee, and completed her community service hours tutoring a fifth-grade student as part of her enrollment in NHS.   She served as the Class President during her Freshman & Sophmore years. Ashley is also journalist herself having served as the Editor in Chief of the Ashland High School newspaper - The Union Street Journal. 

“Being involved with community-based activities makes me feel fulfilled. I am grateful for the leadership experience I have gained through my roles as class president, editor-in-chief, and media manager. I look forward to pursuing similar activities in college to help others,” says Ashley Sachs. 

These two scholarships were appointed by the ABA Scholarship committee comprised of members,  Chrissy Reynolds of Annemarie’s Dance Centre, Paul Netopski of Critical Prism Defense LLC, Valerie Gaines a Reiki Practitioner, Ron Stone of Law Office of Ronald M Stone, Peter Chisholm of Expedia Cruises, and Bill Gath of Oak Realty

The Ashland Business Association (ABA)  is a group of professionals passionate about their community. This organization is dedicated to increasing profitability and visibility for its members, and for advocating towards a positive business environment within the town. The ABA is also dedicated to increasing the success of its members’ businesses within the Ashland community and beyond.

Become a Member 

If you are a resident of Ashland or have a business in town, there is a membership option for you! We offer memberships for Ashland residents with businesses out of town, and memberships for non-residents with businesses within the town of Ashland. We welcome all professionals, and not just business owners.  Learn more about ABA’s memberships by visiting our website, ashlandbusinessassociation.com/join-us. 

Partner with Us

We offer great events for members, as well as the extended Ashland community. Becoming a sponsorship partner with the ABA is a way to help us host these engagement opportunities, and advertise your business. Learn more about partnering with the ABA by contacting us by email, [email protected] 

Connect with us

Did you know The Ashland Business Association has its own website, email newsletter, and social media accounts with Facebook and Instagram? Let’s keep in touch! 

Visit our website for upcoming events!