Cara Burke
Cara Burke, daughter of Patrick Burke and his wife, Toni Lynn, has been chosen to receive a $1,500 award under the SSA’s James R. Smith Scholarship Program. The 2012 award was announced by Scholarship Management Services, the independent organization that administers the program on behalf of the SSA.
The award to Cara, which is renewable, is the 8th sponsored by the SSA since the inception of the college scholarship program, in which participation is open to the children and grandchildren of SSA members. Her father is Director Operations & Assistant Secretary at AIG, Inc.
Vivacious, outgoing, articulate – these are apt ways to describe Cara, a 17-year-old senior at Immaculata High School in Somerville, NJ. She has not yet made a college choice and is likely to explore a career path in broadcasting.
Throughout her high school years Cara distinguished herself not only on the sports field – soccer is her game of choice, and she’s a starting forward - but as a featured dancer and instructor with Immaculata’s 200-member marching band. With her high school Color Guard she has participated in marching band competitions throughout the East Coast. She was captain and soloist of the team that won both the New Jersey and national championships. She is a member of the National Association of High School Scholars.
Cara is an avid photographer who enjoys expressing herself through both still images and video. She frequently does photographic work for friends and accepts free-lance assignments on occasion. She has found a ready outlet for her work on social media sites such as Facebook, Flicker and YouTube.
“I got into photography a few years ago,” she says, “and now I take my camera wherever I go.”
Click here to view samples of Cara's photography.