Grace Foundation Names Scholarship Recipients

Ten high school graduates have been selected as recipients of 2009-2010 Grace Foundation Scholarships, awarded annually by the Grace Foundation, the philanthropic affiliate of global specialty chemical and materials company W. R. Grace & Co. (NYSE:GRA).

The recipients are from Louisiana, Maryland and Pennsylvania with each receiving $2,000 to cover tuition and related fees for their first year of full-time study. The students are planning to pursue degrees as varied as criminology, elementary education, engineering and nursing. Each scholarship may be renewed in future years (contingent upon satisfactory academic performance) up to a maximum of $8,000 per student.

“We are proud to support these talented and dedicated individuals in their academic pursuits,” said W. Brian McGowan, Chairman of the Grace Foundation and Senior Vice President for W. R. Grace & Co. “They represent the next generation of business and community leaders that our collective future depends on.”

The four recipients from Louisiana are:

Allison L. Champagne
Allison lives in Lake Charles and graduated from Alfred M. Barbe High School, also in Lake Charles. She will be studying Nursing at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.

Corey L. Crosby
A resident of Westlake, Corey graduated from Westlake High School and intends to pursue an Engineering degree at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

Andres E. Espitia
Andres graduated from DeQuincy High School and will be working towards a degree in Engineering at McNeese State University.

Haleigh L. Portinause
A cum laude graduate of Sam Houston High School in Lake Charles, Haleigh will pursue a degree in Elementary Education at McNeese State University.

The five recipients from Maryland are:

Jennifer A. Izquierdo
Jennifer lives in Glen Burnie and graduated from Seton Keough High School in Baltimore. She has been accepted to the University of Maryland in College Park where she intends to pursue a degree in Criminology.

Darbi R. Jones
A resident of Pasadena, Darbi graduated from Chesapeake Senior High, also in Pasadena. She will begin her Marine Biology studies at the University of Miami in Florida this fall.

Mika S. Rhabb
Mika graduated from Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bethesda and will study Radiology at Villanova University in Villanova, Pennsylvania.

Connie Shih
A resident of Clarksville, Connie graduated from River Hill High School, also in Clarksville, and will go to the University of Maryland in College Park.

Madeline P. Vincent
A resident of Woodbine, Madeline graduated from Glenelg High School in Glenelg and will go to the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

The recipient from Pennsylvania is:

John D. Poling III
An Eagle Scout, John lives in Garnet Valley and graduated from Garnet Valley High School in Glen Mills. He will begin his Pre-Med studies at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania.

In addition to the new scholarships, the Grace Foundation is also funding 27 renewal scholarships. The Grace Foundation Scholarship Program was established in 1989 to support the sons and daughters of Grace employees in the United States and Canada. It is independently administered by Scholarship America, a department of Scholarship Management Services, a national nonprofit educational support and student aid service organization. The parents of this year’s new recipients have collectively worked at the company for 128 years.

Scholarship recipients are selected based on a combination of factors, including academic performance and participation in school and community activities, work experience and recommendations. To date, $1.5 million in scholarships have been awarded.

Established in 1961, the Grace Foundation makes financial donations to charitable organizations and educational institutions in the United States and Canada. Support is provided to organizations based in areas where Grace has a significant employee presence, as well as to programs that represent exceptional opportunities to improve the quality of life.

Grace is a leading global supplier of catalysts and other products to petroleum refiners; catalysts for the manufacture of plastics; silica-based engineered and specialty materials for a wide range of industrial applications; sealants and coatings for food and beverage packaging, and specialty chemicals, additives and building materials for commercial and residential construction. Founded in 1854, Grace has operations in over 40 countries. For more information, visit Grace's web site at www.grace.com.