Joseph L. Dionne Scholarship Winner: Hayes Mendez!
Each year, BAE awards a scholarship in memory of our founding donor and visionary, Joseph L. Dionne. Joe was a history teacher, guidance counselor, and football and basketball coach. After ten years in the public education system, he moved into the business world, eventually becoming the chairman and CEO of McGraw-Hill. Joseph believed in the transformative power of music and education. He believed when young people come together to sing, to learn, to help others - growth and self-awareness follow. BAE is a product of those beliefs and an organization he held very close to his heart.
The scholarship is offered to an NYC high school senior enrolled in BAE programs who has shown an exceptional commitment to their studies, to leadership within their community, to using their time and talents to create a better tomorrow, and to BAE’s core values of Arts as Advocacy, Living in the Orange, and Better Together.
This year, Broadway for Arts Education grants the Joseph L. Dionne Scholarship to Hayes Mendez! Hayes has been a participant of BAE programming for the past two years. He has appeared in the short film “Love Springs,” performed in two Art Shares, and played the role of Zeus in our production of Xanadu. Additionally, Hayes is an intern at BAE, where he has developed skills as a producer and taken on a leadership position at his school.
Board President, Catherine Cantrell Dionne, posing with scholarship winner, Hayes, and his fellow classmates in Club Curtain call.
