Perdue scholarship awarded to local student

August 19, 2025 — Gregory Lessard, son of Alicia Brennan of Onley, Virginia, was awarded a $5,000 scholarship from the Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation, the charitable giving partner of Perdue Farms.

Lessard received one of 15 scholarships awarded this year to children of Perdue associates and independent contract farmers. His mother, Alicia Brennan, is a licensed practical nurse at the Accomac, Virginia location. Recipients were selected based on academic achievement, extracurricular activities and community involvement. The $75,000 scholarship program is part of the company’s Delivering Hope

To Our Neighbors® outreach focused on improving quality of life and building strong communities. Lessard will attend Virginia Tech to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering. He graduated from Nandua High School in Onley with a weighted 4.18 GPA.

He was a member of the Beta Club and the junior varsity and varsity baseball teams. He received honor roll recognition from Senator Lewis and Delegate Bloxom. Lessard was also named to the principal’s list at Nandua High School and Eastern Shore Community College. Lessard’s goal is to become a mechanical engineer.

“In addition to my love for mathematics, I am fascinated by machinery as well as its functions and mechanics. These interests have fueled my desire to pursue a career path in mechanical engineering, where I will design, develop, build, test and maintain machines and tools. With a career in mechanical engineering, I hope to utilize my mathematics and problem-solving skills to work on designing and testing machinery,” he said.