Dartmouth High School Class of 2024 graduate Autumn DeMello was one of three students to receive this year’s Maryada Award from the Maryada Family Foundation, a Dartmouth organization that has been recognizing local students since 2016 who have shown the most improvement in their high school years. 

Nominations are submitted by teachers and school counselors and awardees receive $500 each.

According to the foundation, DeMello’s GPA improved 3.02 points since her freshman year. Having attended four different schools throughout her high school career, Autumn “quickly established herself as one of the most integral members of the student body upon transferring to Dartmouth High School.”

The nomination described Autumn as a young woman with “great faith, remarkable character, intrinsically drive and fiercely independent.”

She was a leader in the Black Student Union, a member of the spring track team, holds a near full-time job at a local daycare and started a small business. In the fall, DeMello will attend UMass Dartmouth.

Foundation Board member Rishi Bal Singh presented the award on Thursday, May 23 at the Dartmouth High School Awards Night.