Yale-bound FHS Valedictorian Earns Republican Ed Brooke Scholarship

Among the scholarships awarded last night at Franklin High School, was the Sen. Edward W. Brooke Scholarship, awarded by the Franklin Republican Town Committee Treasurer Ray Fioravanti, (left) to graduating senior and class valedictorian Gavin Warnakulasooriya (right)..

According to Warnakulasooriya, he is heading for Yale, where he plans to major in physics and philosophy.  His years at FHS have been busy and productive ones, according to the information supplied to the scholarship committee:

High School Activities (sports, clubs, community service, etc):
Independent Researcher – Conducted CNN-based music & emotion research with 60 subjects; presented
at MIT symposium; published on PsyArXiv. (Grades 11–12, ~10 hrs/wk)
Founder & CEO, The EcoTech Initiative – Led 25+ member environmental tech org; built bus route
optimizer impacting 25,000+ people; interviewed by NYT bestselling author. (Grades 10–12, ~4 hrs/wk)
(ecotechprojects.org)
Pianist – 3x Carnegie Hall solo performer; fundraised medicine for 3 hospitals in rural Sri Lanka. (Grades
9–12, ~3 hrs/wk)
Yale Summer Program in Astrophysics – Selected as 1 of 32 from 1,400+ applicants; reclassified a
supernova; submitted findings to Springer journal. (Grade 12, ~70 hrs/wk)
President, Franklin Science NHS – Led 100+ members; launched research mentorship program; organized
STEM field trip for 300+ elementary students. (Grades 11–12, ~3 hrs/wk)

Author, AP Physics 2 Equation Handbook – Published free instructional book shared with 130+ schools
across 30+ states. (Grades 11–12, ~6 hrs/wk)
Founder, The Wavelength Project – Advocacy platform for music & STEM education reform; reached
200+ U.S. school boards. (Grades 11–12, ~3 hrs/wk) (thewavelengthproject.org)
Team Captain, Mock Trial – Led 20+ member team to top 8 in state (111 teams); authored 7-page training
handbook. (Grades 9–12, ~3 hrs/wk)
Team Captain, Debate Team – Coached 20+ members; reinstated team post-budget cuts with 150+
signatures; ran school tournament. (Grades 9–11, ~2 hrs/wk)
Varsity Track & Field – PR 11.4s in 100m; top 11th grade 100m ‘25; helped mentor 30+ teammates.
(Grades 9–12, ~14 hrs/wk)
Public Transportation Research Intern, Town of Franklin/GATRA – Built K-Nearest-Neighbors algorithm
on 106,000+ bus requests; created eco-friendly route meeting 95% of demand; project impacted 25,000+
people. (Grades 11–12, ~2 hrs/wk)

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The Franklin Republican Town Committee (RTC), the official organization of registered Republicans in the Town of Franklin, first announced and offered the $1,000 scholarship to a graduating senior at Franklin High School last year. The only requirement is that students applying must demonstrate an understanding of Senator Brooke's legacy and its relevance today. Political affiliation or views of the recipient are not considered. Applicants were required to submit a brief essay on Brooke.

Republican Senator Edward W. Brooke, the first black ever elected to the US Senate, represented Massachusetts from 1967 to 1979. He was also a decorated veteran of World War II and served Massachusetts as Attorney General. Brooke was also the keynote speaker at Franklin's Bicentennial Celebration in 1978.