Sarah Guillemette ’27 and Thomas Driscoll ’27 have been named Thomas A. Melucci, Jr. ’88 Memorial Scholarship recipients for the 2026-2027 academic year. This annual honor awards a tuition-free senior year to two students who have illustrated considerable personal and spiritual growth from their first to final semester at Saint Anselm College.
With an alumna sister and parents whose love story began in Saint Anselm’s Meelia Center for Community Engagement, it’s no surprise Sarah Guillemette found home away from home on the Hilltop. Following in her family’s footsteps, the Elementary Education major quickly established herself as a quiet leader through community engagement at the Meelia Center. Although she was familiar with campus from a young age, becoming a student helped Guillemette truly understand what makes Saint Anselm special.
“It's hard to put into words what Saint Anselm means to me because it's been so much more than just the place where I've gone to college,” she says. During her time at Saint Anselm, Guillemette’s impact has been felt by people of all ages and abilities. She’s taught Manchester high school students as an Access Academy instructor, connected with intellectually and developmentally disabled individuals through the MooreTOGETHER Fellowship, and used her project management and public speaking skills to collaboratively pilot the College’s annual senior appreciation events.
“[Guillemette made] things happen behind the scenes that ensured community events would run smoothly,” shares Meelia Center Director Allyn Doyle ’13. “Her caring, compassionate nature and her commitment to helping others makes her stand out among her peers.”
Guillemette’s path to empowered service work didn’t come without adversity. A deeply personal loss led her to embrace her own community for support, forming her into a more thoughtful, civic-minded person whose infectious consideration and regard for humanity is felt by everyone she meets. She prioritizes the community’s needs to ensure that everyone feels seen, helped, and heard in dignified ways, and believes that education should be accessible to all, regardless of circumstance.
“Through my experiences [at Saint Anselm,] I’ve been challenged, encouraged, and inspired in ways that have shaped both who I am and the teacher I hope to become,” she says. Through every act of kindness, Guillemette’s diligent work in and beyond the Meelia Center honors her family’s Saint Anselm legacy and dedication to community service.
Despite being one of the most skilled athletes, men’s lacrosse player Thomas Driscoll spent his freshman season on the sidelines. The pace, pressures, and expectations of collegiate-level play overwhelmed the charismatic Criminal Justice major, leaving him unmotivated to earn time on the turf. While coaches recognized his ability to captivate his teammates, his head just wasn’t in the game. Driscoll felt directionless and struggled to find his purpose at Saint Anselm. He knew he needed to make a change to better support his team, no matter how difficult it may be.
The student-athlete returned the following semester with a renewed attitude and incentive to improve. He channeled his infectious positivity in productive pre-practice pep talks and became the player who not only brought his best to the field but urged his peers to do the same. Driscoll no longer feared error and turned to coaches for feedback, earning him the second-most playing time during his sophomore season. Driscoll felt increasingly connected to the Hilltop community after taking The Benedictines — a course underscoring how Saint Anselm came to be.
“I understood that I was not a part of a place where their only objective it to get you degree, rather a community based on faith that can build relationships stronger than any team or ordinary school can,” says Driscoll. “After changing my mindset and beginning to embrace the struggle . . . I learned that my teammates deserved the best version of me, and I was also going to push them to become the best version of themselves.”
Driscoll’s growth didn’t stop on the field. When a fellow teammate was seriously wounded, Driscoll unified his grieving team through faith. Following his lead, what began as three players attending Mass evolved to over 20 in the succeeding weeks. Driscoll then proceeded to start a post-game prayer at the 50-yard line and invited their opponent to join, regardless of the final score. His Catholic roots further moved him to begin an optional pre-game Bible study to help willing participants mentally prepare for the match.
“Our lacrosse team, classrooms, Anselmian community, and world is a better place because of Driscoll,” says Drew Bordeau ’18, head men’s lacrosse coach. “His impact on our program will last long after his graduation.”
The Thomas A. Melucci, Jr. ’88 Memorial Scholarship was established by Gail and Thomas A. Melucci, Sr. P’88, H.D.’98 to honor their late son, Thomas.