Pittsfield Cooperative Bank Awards Eight Conrad Bernier Memorial Scholarships

PITTSFIELD — Pittsfield Cooperative Bank announced the recipients of its 2026 Conrad Bernier Memorial Scholarship, awarding a total of $9,500 to eight outstanding students in recognition of their academic achievement, leadership, community involvement, and commitment to higher education.

This year’s scholarship recipients are Matthew Egan, Romeo Yankey, Madison Judson, Jordyn Lloyd, Aidan Tremblay, Brooklynn Lamke, Heidi Saupe, and Caroline Becker.

The Conrad Bernier Memorial Scholarship reflects the bank’s long-standing commitment to supporting education and investing in the future of Berkshire County. This year’s recipients represent schools from across the region, including Pittsfield High School, Taconic High School, Wahconah Regional High School, McCann Technical School, Lenox High School, and Monument Mountain Regional High School. The students will attend colleges and universities including Salve Regina University, Northeastern University, Emmanuel College, UMass Amherst, New York University, and Elon University this fall.

Among this year’s recipients is Yankey, a graduating senior at Taconic High School and an intern in Pittsfield Cooperative Bank’s Information Technology department. During his internship, he assisted with firewall surveillance, patch management, help desk administration, and several technology initiatives.

Yankey ranks in the top 10% of his class with a 4.0 GPA and has been actively involved in numerous school and community organizations, including the National Honor Society, Class Council, Student Athlete Council, Youth Advisory Board, Principal Advisory Board, and Link Crew. He also serves as the Taconic High School representative to the Pittsfield School Committee.

“Romeo is a hard-working, ambitious, humble, and kind individual,” said Senior Technology Officer Jonn Semexant, who served as Yankey’s mentor at the bank. “He is the type of young person every parent hopes their child will become and a testament to what persistence and kindness can achieve.”

Bank President Gregg Levante added that “the accomplishments of all eight scholarship recipients are truly inspiring. We are honored to support these students as they continue their educational journeys and look forward to seeing the positive impact they will make in their communities and professions.”