For a Acton teen, scholarships provide a vital bridge to college

Allison Lu says that when her family left busy Boston for quiet Acton, she found more than open space. She found her future.

“I grew up in Boston, so it’s very urban, a very bustling city,” she said. “When I moved over to Acton, it was much more nature. Where I live, there’s Great Meadows. That’s super-close to me.”

That change of scenery sparked her fascination with the natural world, setting her on a path toward a career in science. But settling in Acton wasn’t simple. For her family, which emigrated from China, affordable housing made it possible.

Now, the Acton-Carlisle High School graduate is studying biology at Union College in Schenectady, New York, bolstered by $21,000 in scholarships. 

The National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials offers scholarships at the state, regional, and national levels to students who live in public housing. Lu won them all, securing her the $21,000, with $9,000 more available to support summer internships. 

“From little Acton to make it all the way there is a big deal,” Acton Housing Authority Executive Director Jennifer Polito told The Acton Bridge. “There’s 246 housing authorities just in Massachusetts. … Think about how many people are in this pool, and she was the one that received it.”

Lu was one of only three students in the country to receive the national-level NAHRO-LDG scholarship. She said flying to Phoenix to accept it was surreal. 

“It was a big stepping stone to really push me into a good career,” Lu said. 

Lu won the Barney Frank Resident Scholarship, the Allan R. Andrews Scholarship, and the NAHRO Merit Scholarship, along with the national award. 

‘Refreshing honesty’

Rachele Brown, Lu’s guidance counselor, said the award-winning teen “approaches life with refreshing honesty” and “whether it’s translating for her parents or working through difficult situations, she faces challenges head-on.”

Cricket McCaffrey-Clark was Lu’s honors chemistry teacher at CCHS. She called Lu “one of the most memorable students I have encountered in over 30 years of teaching.”

Lu “seeks out and pushes for additional explanations, showing that she is not only engaged in the work, but that she is comfortable with being uncomfortable,” McCaffrey-Clark said in an email. “Allison’s growth as a student was visible, especially in her focus on the process of how to learn abstract concepts and apply theory in her problem-solving.”

Lu said she worked hard because her parents moved to Acton, in part, for the education system and she didn’t want to waste the opportunity. 

“Acton-Carlisle is such a top-rated school district, and that comes with privilege,” she said. “I’m very grateful for my parents’ sacrifices to be here. It’s been very meaningful and impactful in the things I do.”

Affording Acton

Lu said affordable housing “made it easier” for her family to live in Acton. And that opportunity not only gave her a school where she was able to work hard, but, as she said, “a big reason why I could get connected with nature and science.”

Polito said many assume Acton doesn’t have subsidized housing. 

“People always say that to me when they ask where I work. I tell them I’m the director of a housing authority in Acton, and they first assume New Hampshire. Then they’re like, ‘Wait, there’s public housing in Acton?’” she said. 

“I don’t want to say it, but we’re in an affluent community, so you just assume the kids just went to these expensive schools and have the money for tutors,” she said. “But that’s not the case. There are kids here who don’t have that.” 

Lu is just grateful for the opportunity. 

“In my mind, I was never going to get it,” she said. “I thought, ‘Maybe one of them,’ and that’s it. But I remember getting the call that I’d gotten the national scholarship. I was jumping around and excited because college is expensive, and this took off so much pressure.”