Waltham’s Jack Perry among winners of Rhode Island broadcasting scholarships

A Waltham resident is one of three students awarded a family scholarship this year by the Rhode Island Broadcasters Association, the trade group announced.

Jack Perry, a recent Boston University graduate and the son of WFD deputy chief Scott Perry and Heather Gersten Perry of Waltham, received one of the association’s $2,000 RIBA Family Scholarships. He returns to Boston University in the fall to pursue a doctorate in physical therapy.

Perry graduated from Waltham High School in 2022 and was a star goalie on the Hawks hockey team for all four years. He earned a spot on BU’s Division 1 team last year and played on BU’s championship roller hockey team this year, which won the 2025-2026 NCRHA Division 1 National Championship in April. 

“The person who has influenced me most is my mother, Heather Gersten Perry,” Perry wrote in his scholarship application essay. “Through her work in radio broadcasting, she introduced me to the power of communication and human connection at an early age.”

Perry grew up around a microphone. His mother co-hosts the “Heather and Matty” morning show on Lite 105, the Providence adult contemporary station WWLI-FM, where she has worked for more than two decades and also serves as assistant program director. 

Perry has appeared on the air with her many times, beginning when he was 4 years old. He also entertained Lite Rock 105 listeners as an 8-year-old reporter with his popular “Jack’s Playback” segments, in which he enthusiastically reenacted New England Patriots games, complete with play-by-play commentary.

“Even to this day, that confidence he developed helps as he’s becoming a physical therapist – being able to talk to his patients and listen to them,” Gersten Perry said.

Gersten Perry has been on WWLI-FM since 2003 and will be inducted into the Rhode Island Radio Hall of Fame next month. 

“We’re incredibly proud of Jack, and it means a lot to see his hard work recognized,” said Gersten Perry. “What makes me proudest is that he genuinely cares about other people.” 

The family scholarships are open to employees of member stations of the Rhode Island Broadcasters Association and to their children. Applicants are judged on academic record, work and extracurricular activities, a letter of recommendation, a narrative essay and the care and attention to detail shown in the application itself.

The association awards five $2,000 scholarships each year. Winners are selected by a panel of broadcasters and broadcast association executives, and awards are announced in the summer.

The Rhode Island Broadcasters Association represents television and radio stations across southern New England.