Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber Announces 2021 Scholarship Winners

Six local high school students were awarded $1,000 scholarships from the Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce this year, and for the first time, two $500 scholarships were awarded to students pursuing vocational careers. The 2021 recipients are graduating from Croton-Harmon, Hendrick Hudson, Lakeland, Peekskill, Putnam Valley, and Walter Panas High School and were presented with their awards at the Chamber's June breakfast held via Zoom.

“Each of our scholar recipients is a gifted and talented student with a stunning list of accomplishments, exemplary academic records, and extremely bright futures. Having been educated during one of the most challenging times in history, each student exemplifies resilience and the ability to overcome challenges—that's something that will serve them well. Congratulations to our 2021 winners and we wish them the best of luck in furthering their educations,” said Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce President Deb Milone.

The chamber added two new scholarships this year to present to students who plan to enter vocational careers. Coming out the pandemic, both of those recipients plan to enter the health care field.

“Since we represent the business community, we thought it only appropriate to start recognizing those students who choose vocational careers—each of whom is vital to our local economy,” added Milone.

The scholarships are funded from the generosity local businesses from the chamber's annual Tommy Bertoline Scholarship Golf Outing, held annually in September and presented by the chamber's non-profit Foundation. Scholarship recipients are chosen on the basis of academics, leadership skills, extracurricular activities, community volunteering, awards or merits, and work experience. Members of the committee include: Cortlandt Economic Development Consultant George Oros, Westchester Community College's Dr. Sherry Mayo, Chamber Chairperson Marianne Oros, and Con Edison's Jane Solnick.

Honored for their academic and civic accomplishments were:

Croton-Harmon High School: Maya Gardos

Croton Harmon High School Senior Maya Gardos has a love of literature and political science and was enhanced during her high school career when she became involved in Model UN and and her school congress. But her interests don't stop there. Gardos currently keeps of things she wants to learn about, which now totals more than 10,000 topics, but politics seems to be her passion. She has interned at NYS Assemblywoman Sandy Galef's office, volunteered on a Congressional campaign, and volunteered on a voter outreach campaign. Gardos writes, “Working in government would give me unique opportunities to make change that other careers do not supply. I will pursue a career in politics and activism in order to enact positive change in the world around me.” Gardos will be attending Yale University in the fall.

Hendrick Hudson High School: Zoe Rose

Hendrick Hudson High School senior Zoe Rose plans to combat the effects of climate change and make the world a more sustainable place to live. She plans to mayor in Biochemistry at Binghamton University in the fall with plans to expand to a double major with Environmental Studies. She plans to take full advantage of the research opportunities offered in college with a focus on clean energy and sustainable energy technology. Rose writes, “Overall, my goal is to enter Binghamton with an open, curious mindset, so that I can find the best path for myself while learning more about our planet and how to help it along the way.”

Lakeland High School: Lawrence Merriam

Lakeland High School Senior Lawrence Merriam freely admits that he does not yet know what kind of career he wants to pursue, but he knows he wants to work with others in a fast paced environment and sees himself working in a group or a leadership position. Merriam also knows that he does not want to be stuck behind a desk job, noting that he realized this while sitting at his desk in first grade. Merriam plans to attend Pace University, majoring in business with an emphasis on administration or marketing and a minor in communication. He also plans to go on to graduate school to pursue his Masters in Business Administration.

Peekskill High School: Jilda Pauta

Jilda Pauta will be a first generation college student. She is the daughter of Ecuadorian immigrant parents. She maintains a 4.0 GPA while taking five college courses and is Peekskill High School’s Salutatorian 2021. Pauta plans to pursue a Master’s in Criminal Justice and Bachelor’s in Psychology in in hopes of serving abroad as a Drug Enforcement Agent in countries such as Ecuador, Mexico and Columbia, in order to establish safer and healthier environments by reducing drug and human trafficking. Pauta plans to attend Marist College in the fall.

Putnam Valley High School: Mia Leone

Mia Leone will be attending the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in the fall of 2021 and plans to pursue an accelerated BS/MS engineering degree, which will take five years. Her area of interest is in Environmental Engineering and Packaging Science and says she wants to create sustainable packaging for companies such as NASA or SpaceX. Leone writes, “I hope to be part of a new generation that will make the engineering workforce more diverse and inclusive of women. I also plan to join the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) where I will make great connections, meet mentors, and be inspired by accomplished women in my field.”

Walter Panas High School: Vaishali Miriyagalla

From a young age, Miriyagalla has been drawn to the logic and consistency of math for its precision and predictability, and more recently she has developed an interest in the more unpredictable field of social psychology. Miriyagalla writes, “It has occurred to me that my true passion lies in the area where math and physics intertwine with psychology--Artificial Intelligence. AI requires a background in computer systems and technology, but also a deeper understanding of ethics and humanity.” Miriyagalla plans to pursue a broad liberal arts background at Bowdoin College.

Vocational Scholarship Recipient: Nancy Sun

Croton-Harmon High School Senior Nancy Sun plans on pursuing a career in health care, and more specifically, as a Physician's Assistant because they “have a more direct impact on the patient's care.” Sun is a people person and enjoys assisting others, especially those who traditionally do not have adequate access to health care. Sun writes, “I have seen what low income communities experience and the lack of health care they have access to--this needs to stop. If a person of any economic standing is in need of medical care and assistance, they should get the same level of care as everyone else.” Sun will be attending SUNY Stonybrook in the fall.

Vocational Scholarship Recipient: Betsabe Bonilla Farfam

After volunteering at a local nursing home, and helping an elderly neighbor through her daily routines, Hendrick Hudson High School Senior Bonilla Farfam plans to study nursing. She is completing the two year Medical Assistant program at Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES Career & Technical Education Center and plans to attend Hunter College in the fall. Bonilla Farfam likes to quote William Shakespeare: “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” She says she is confident that she has found her gift—nursing.

Introducing the student scholarship recipients were Croton Harmon School District Superintendent Deborah O’Connell, Hendrick Hudson School District Superintendent Joseph Hochreiter, Peekskill School District Superintendent David Mauricio, Town of Cortlandt Supervisor Linda Puglisi, Lakeland School District Superintendent Brendon Lyons, Putnam Valley School District Superintendent Jeremy Luft, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of the Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce Marianne Oros. More than 60 people gathered virtually to hear the students' accomplishments and plans for the future including Westchester County Legislator Colin Smith, Cortlandt Town Councilman Jim Creighton, Croton Village Board Member Len Simon and Peekskill Deputy Mayor Vivian McKenzie.