Ryan Berard, of Oakland, a senior at Messalonskee High School, was awarded the 2014 Joseph B. Ezhaya Memorial Scholarship.

Berard was the leader of the Messalonskee High School Food Drive, which in the first year resulted in a record breaking 4,000 items being collected. Last spring he co-founded a ‘Day of Caring’ at the high school. The majority of students cleaned walking trails, cemeteries and the schools, as well as visiting nursing homes. He pushed for this event in hopes that other students would find the same joy in volunteering as he does. Along with joining school extracurricular activities, he is a Senior Mentor to a younger student. Berard also volunteers in the community.

Berard plans to continue his education at Franklin Pierce University in N.H., wants to earn a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a minor in political science.

Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce’s Ezhaya Memorial Scholarship committee convenes annually to award the prize to a local graduating senior with an exemplary record of citizenship and community service. Applicants are required to submit an essay on their community involvement, and finalists are interviewed by the Ezhaya Memorial Scholarship Committee.

For more information on the annual award, visit www.midmainechamber.com/chamber/about/scholarship.html.