Plymouth Harbor employees and their children receive $30K in scholarships

The late Bernard and Mildred Doyle were pillars of education at Plymouth Harbor where they lived for 25 years.

They were inspired to give back to make education more accessible, and each year the Doyles picked local students to support in their studies. When they died in the 1990s, Plymouth Harbor continued their legacy by starting the Doyle Scholarship. 

On behalf of the Doyle Scholarship and Northern Trust Co., the Plymouth Harbor Foundation on July 22 awarded six scholarships of $5,000 to local students who are Plymouth Harbor employees or children of employees.

Instead of giving $10,000 to one student, this is the first year that the foundation distributed $30,000 among six candidates.

Photo by Petra Rivera

Vice President of Northern Trust Michelle Pearson said it was always hard for the board of trustees to pick just one recipient. After talking it over this year, the board decided to give the opportunity to multiple students because of the great potential the candidates had.

Two employees and four children of employees were chosen as the recipients of this year’s scholarships. The scholarship can be renewed for up to three years. All the scholarship recipients expressed their appreciation.

• Tyler Dunn, who is the son of a Plymouth Harbor administrative assistant Marilyn Jennings, will be studying business management at Tallahassee Community College with the hopes of transferring to Florida State University to complete his bachelor’s degree in business.
• Nyrdia Bonnaire Fils, daughter of CNA Fhadia Bonnaire Fils, will be studying business administration at Florida State University. 
• Chase Matilla, son of Director of Nursing at Smith Care Center Guinevere Kulie, is attending the University of South Florida to complete his bachelor’s degree in marketing and a minor in allied health. 
• Regina Ladron DeGuevara, the daughter of Director of Dining Services Montse Ladron DeGuevara, will be attending Allegheny College in Pennsylvania for a degree in psychology.
• Edith Exantus, an LPN who has been working in Plymouth Harbor's assisted living residences for over seven years, will be studying for her RN at Galen College of Nursing. 
• Bella Garcia, a CNA working at the memory care residences, will be studying for her LPN certification at Jersey College, School of Nursing.

Along with the Doyle Scholarships, the Plymouth Harbor Foundation has awarded $60,000 to 34 other employees and their children in 2024. This resulted in a total of $90,000.

“If I wasn’t encouraged by my coworkers here, I would not be where I am today,” said Franco Valencia, former Doyle Scholarship recipient and the new assistant director of dining services at Plymouth Harbor. “I wouldn’t have been brave enough to have gone through school. Sometimes, people here see things that you don’t, so I am really grateful that they pushed me to apply and work hard for my dreams.”