In May of 2023, the Nantucket Book Foundation lost a beloved member of our family. As longtime Chair of the Literary Committee, Tharon Dunn was committed to bringing the most captivating authors to Nantucket for our annual Festival, but she was also a fierce advocate for literacy and ELL programs, helping to found the English Language Learners program at the Nantucket Atheneum. In her honor, we have established the Tharon Dunn Scholarship, an annual award to celebrate a Nantucket High School student who loves reading, writing and for whom English is not their first language.
Lesly Rivera, inaugural winner of the 2024 Tharon Dunn Scholarship, graduated from Nantucket High School in 2024. She is ecstatic to pursue the study of Business Administration at Cape Cod Community College this upcoming fall. She enjoys reading, writing short stories, and solving puzzles. She has been very active in her community, helping out wherever possible, especially as a translator.
