Erik Domingues graduated summa cum laude with the highest honors from UMass Dartmouth this spring, yet he has still found time for independent research, to tutor, for membership in several clubs and organizations, and for a part-time job.
The New Bedford High School graduate has the Jacobs Family New Bedford High School Scholarship to thank for giving him the time to accomplish all this and participate fully in college life.
In 2002, he was one of two graduating seniors who were awarded the $20,000, four-year scholarships established at the Community Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts by City native and Qualcomm founder Dr. Irwin Jacobs and his wife, Joan Klein Jacobs.
Mr. Domingues was a guest speaker May 4 when the Jacobses came to New Bedford from their home in La Jolla, Calif., to award this year’s scholarships to three graduating seniors. The presentation was held at the New Bedford Whaling Museum.
“Because of the Jacobs Scholarship, I have been able to dedicate my time to doing well in school and taking part in a variety of activities, both on and off campus,” Mr. Domingues said. He noted that many of his friends had to work practically full-time to put themselves through college.
Mr. Domingues is the son of Luis and Ermelinda Domingues, both of whom were born in Portugal. His first language was Portuguese.
A chemistry major with a 3.981 grade point average, Mr. Domingues graduated as a 2006 Commonwealth Honors Scholar, the highest honor awarded to any graduating student, and with the highest scholastic standing in the UMass Dartmouth College of Arts and Sciences. Mr. Domingues has been accepted to UMass Medical School in Worcester, the Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington D.C., and Albany Medical College in New York. He will attend his number one choice, UMass Medical School, this fall.
Apart from the rigors of daily classes, Mr. Domingues has performed about 15 hours of independent research a week, searching for the relationship between cranberries and cranberry juice and breast cancer cells. He is vice president of the Golden Key International Honor Society, a member of the Pre-Med/Pre-Vet Society and of the Portuguese Language Club. He was nominated for the 2006 Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges and received the American Institute of Chemists Award and the Kenneth Rose Award for the highest grade point average in chemistry and overall.
Off campus, Mr. Domingues has shadowed Dr. Richard S. Fox and has worked weekends for six years at Amaral’s Market in New Bedford.
The Jacobs Scholarship Fund was launched in 2000 with a $1 million gift by the Jacobs family to the Community Foundation. The scholarships are awarded each year to graduating seniors who plan to major in math, engineering or science, including computer science at an accredited college or university. Students must maintain a B average in college.
In 2005, CFSEMA was able to increase the size and number of scholarships awarded annually from 2 to 3 and from $20,000 to $24,000 over four years, thanks to an additional $800,000 gift from the Jacobses.
Founded in 1995, CFSEMA is a public charity serving thousands of people who share a common concern — improving the quality of life in Southeastern Massachusetts.
To date, the Community Foundation has assets of more than $14 million and has distributed more than $3 million from 60 funds to humanitarian, educational and cultural organizations in the region.
To learn more about the foundation, visit www.cfsema.org.
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