Haney Fellowships
The Haney Fellowship was established in 1998 by William "Bill" Haney, III '80, in honor of his father, the late William Haney, Jr., who lived and worked at Portsmouth Abbey School from 1968 to 1991 as a chemistry teacher, houseparent and golf coach. This creative and generous fund was established to provide Fifth Form students with a unique educational experience during the summer before their Sixth-Form year.
Students submit proposals that include a statement of purpose, a description of the program that the applicant wishes to pursue, and a documented estimate of costs. Students focus their plans on a course of study or travel/work experience that significantly furthers an existing academic interest or allows for the pursuit of a specialized opportunity. Awarded on the basis of their submitted proposals and interviews in the winter of the students’ Fifth-Form year, the Haney Fellows are chosen by Bill Haney ’80 and his mother, Irene, herself a longtime Portsmouth houseparent and valued community member.
This year COVID pushed all of our Haney Scholars to adapt, you can read about their projects below.
2021 Recipients:
Julia FitzGerald served as a community scientist under the guidance of Clean Ocean Access, supporting research and documentation on conditions of 17 public shoreline access points in Portsmouth, RI.
Darrell Kwateng traveled to Ghana and interviewed various doctors in the field of mental health. He also met with and interviewed young adults who addressed concerns about program funding, breaking the stigma of mental health care and interviewed people to provide awareness of the issues.
Kene Ogbuefi traveled to Lagos, Nigeria and taught students how to assemble pi-top kits. He also conducted three one-week courses in coding, using Python and other programs.
Antone “Toby” Oliveira identified a need and helped several low-income families with nutrition and exercise. Toby facilitated meetings with mothers with a diabetes instructor and a trainer for free workout sessions and helped establish gym memberships for all participants. Toby will also provided help with the children while their moms are involved in the program.
2020 Recipients
Augusta ‘Gussie’ Ambrose (Utica, NY) Gussie recorded oral histories of Dr. and Mrs. Von Gravenitz and worked on interview techniques with professors in New York; she is hoping to get to Zurich when it is safe to travel.
John ‘Jack’ Boyle (Newport, RI) Jack helped build and plant dementia gardens at St. Clare’s Home in Newport, RI, in honor of his grandmother.
Yue ‘Christine’ Dong (Hangzhou Zhejiang, CHINA) Christine studied the fate of religious architecture during the cultural revolution, focusing her research on Buddhist temples and Christian chapels. Christine's mother helped her compile information in China while Christine did research in Chicago where she lived from March to August 2020.
Michael Hyder (Tiverton, RI) Michael interned with “All of US Precision Medicine Initiative” in NYC. He was able to do this all virtually, from his home in Tiverton, with equipment that he bought to do the assigned work.
Udenna Nwuneli (Lagos, Nigeria) Udenna originally planned to volunteer as a youth journalist, blogger and photographer covering Africa’s teams at the Summer Olympics in Japan. With the postponement of the Olympics, Udenna instead volunteered with the Lagos Nigeria food bank, where he wrote articles and took photos.
Lily Sones (Newport, RI) Lily volunteered to teach a STEM course at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center summer adventure camp in Newport, RI, but was unable to complete this project due to COVID-19.
Ella Stookey (Middletown, RI) Ella was set to intern with a marine scientist at Stanford University but was unable to complete this project due to COVID-19.
2019 Recipients:
Eloise Abbate (New York, NY) - Eloise spent three weeks at the Pine Ridge Reservation home of the Oglala, Lakota and Sioux Tribe. She spent one week as a volunteer with Re-Member and two weeks volunteering at Pine Ridge Girls’ School.
Rafael Borromeo (Tampa, FL) - Rafael spent more than three weeks shadowing a professor and medical parasitologist in the Philippines on Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) field and lab work.
Theodore "Ted" Falvey (Plaistow, NH) - Ted worked with KAIR (Keys Area Interdenominational Resources) and Habitat for Humanity in Marathon Key, Florida, for three-and-a-half weeks.
Jamarya Jackson (Newport, RI) - Jamarya created, built and planted a garden with the children at Child and Family Services in Newport for roughly three weeks.
Nkem (KemKem) Ogbuefi (Lake Forest, IL) - Kemkem spent three weeks teaching a STEM-based curriculum to orphaned girls at Bethsheda Orphanage in Lagos, Nigeria.