Dutchess County Regional Chamber Recognizes Scholarship Awardees

From the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce:

Future leaders of our community were recognized during the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce’s June Contact Breakfast held Wednesday, June 15 at the Poughkeepsie Grand Hotel and Conference Center.

Twenty-five local students, both high school seniors and young adults, took center stage as The Chamber Foundation, Inc., the nonprofit educational organization of the Chamber, presented nearly $50,000 in scholarships to those looking to further their education in the Hudson Valley and beyond. Rhinebeck Bank sponsored this special breakfast.

Chamber Foundation scholarships range across disciplines, including music, journalism, the culinary arts, communications, manufacturing and trade and more.

The high school Athena Scholarship was established by the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce to encourage increased leadership roles for women in our community this scholarship and is available to any female high school senior who is a resident of Dutchess County and who is pursuing education at an accredited an accredited college or university in New York state or trade school or through an accredited online educational program in the Fall. Awardees are Sierra Guardiola of Millbrook High School, who will attend Ithaca College to major in Journalism, and Amanda Williams of Poughkeepsie High School, who will attend New York University to major in Communications.

The Communications Scholarship was established by the family of Audrey Morgenstern and the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce to honor her memory and is available to any resident of Dutchess County who is pursuing a major in communications arts, including journalism, media studies, marketing or public relations. The awardee is Aren Antreasyan of John Jay High School, who will attend Long Island University - C.W. Post to major in media studies.

The Cosimo DiBrizzi Culinary Arts Scholarship was established by the family of Cosimo DiBrizzi and the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce to honor his memory and is available to any resident of the Mid-Hudson Valley who is pursuing a career at the Culinary Institute of America. Awardees are Dante Fauci of Highland High School, who will study the culinary arts; Nicholas Ranni of Arlington High School, who will study the culinary arts; Elizabeth Riehl of Spackenkill High School, who will study baking and pastry arts, and Francesca Zani, a Spackenkill High School graduate currently studying the culinary arts.

The Eileen Hickey Nursing Scholarship, sponsored by The Pines at Poughkeepsie, was established by the family of Eileen Hickey and the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce to honor her memory and is available to any resident of the Mid-Hudson Valley who is pursuing a career in nursing at a college in New York State. The awardee is Cassandra Bartelin of Stissing Mountain High School, who will attend Binghamton University to major in nursing.

The Juan LaFuente Memorial Scholarship for Engineering & Computer Science was established by the family of Juan LaFuente and the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce to honor his memory and is available to any resident of Dutchess County who is pursuing a career in an engineering or computer science field. Awardees are Jonayed Ahmed of Arlington High School, who will attend Vassar College to major in computer science; Jason Baker of Poughkeepsie High School, who will attend Dutchess Community College to study engineering; Patrick Bubel of Our Lady of Lourdes High School, who will attend Binghamton University to major in civil engineering, and Kyle Patterson of Arlington High School, who will attend the California Institute of Technology to study computer science and electrical engineering.

The Steven and Linda Lant Family Scholarship for Business and Finance was established by the Lant Family to support students in achieving his or her Bachelor’s Degree and is available to any Dutchess County high school senior or Dutchess Community College student entering an accredited bachelor’s degree program pursuing a major in business or finance at a New York State college. The Lant Family has established this scholarship to support students with the motivation, work ethic and academic skills necessary to succeed at college and in the work force. Awardees are Dean Esposito of Arlington High School, who owill attend the University at Albany to major in finance; Nicholas Esposito of Arlington High School, who will attend the University at Albany to major in finance and business administration; Sabrina Miele, Arlington High School, will attend Fordham University to major in economics, and David Taylor of John Jay High School, who will attend New York University’s Stern School of Business to major in economics.

The Manufacturing & Trade Scholarship was established by the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce and is designed to give Dutchess County residents, age 17 or older, who possess or are working towards a high school or general equivalency diploma, the opportunity to continue and/or complete his or her educational needs in manufacturing or trade profession. The awardee is Aaron Tracy of John Jay High School, who will attend the Alfred State College to concentrate in diesel mechanics.

The Richard W. Mitchell Memorial Scholarship, with support from the Hudson Valley Young Professionals, was established by the family of Richard W. Mitchell and the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce to honor his memory and is available to any resident of Dutchess County who is faced with significant economic, physical, developmental or emotional barrier(s) while advancing his or her education. Awardees are Marlasia Ashley, a Poughkeepsie High School graduate attending Dutchess Community College and majoring in bookkeeping and accounting; Victoria Clarke of Arlington High School, who will attend Vassar College to major in cognitive science and pre-medicine; Alexandra Greco of John Jay High School, who will attend Seton Hall University and major in biology, and Liam Ollive of Beacon High School, who will attend Marist College to major in communications and game design.

The Charles S. North Scholarship for Music and Art was established by the Foundation and the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce to honor past Chamber President Charlie North and his love of music and to encourage the pursuit of music and arts in education; this scholarship is available to any graduating high school senior who is a resident of Dutchess County and is majoring in music performance, music/art education or visual arts. The awardee is Isabel Vazquez of Red Hook High School, who will attend Brown University to study film and music.

The Norman and Rita Nussbickel Memorial Scholarship was established in 1987 by the Nussbickel family and the Greater Southern Dutchess Chamber of Commerce’s Chamber Foundation in memory of Norman F. Nussbickel.  The scholarship also honors Norman’s wife, Rita, who passed away in 2006. The scholarship is awarded to graduating high school seniors at the selected schools who have demonstrated excellent academic and athletic achievement and have a meaningful record of community service. Awardees are Lauren N. Lacy of Arlington High School, who will attend Hofstra University to study to be a physicians assistant; Isabel Quinones of Beacon High School, who will attend Manhattan College to major in childhood/special education; David Taylor of John Jay High School, who will attend New York University’s Stern School of Business to major in economics, and Stephanie Zielinski of Roy C. Ketcham High School, who will attend the College of William & Mary to major in biology.

Further information is available through the Dutchess Regional Chamber of Commerce website.