Two Yorktown High School Seniors Receive Justin Veatch Fund's 4th Annual Scholarships

Two seniors received scholarships during Yorktown High School’s Senior Awards Night on Monday. 

Kristina Koller, who plans to attend Hartt School of Music in Hartford in the fall, was awarded $1,000 and Spencer Cohen, who plans to study at SUNY New Paltz received $500 from The Justin Veatch Fund.

"I feel honored to be the winner of The Justin Veatch Fund Scholarship," Koller said. "This Fund has helped me tremendously with becoming the musician I am today."

The music scholarships are part of The Justin Veatch Fund’s mission to create programs for young, emerging musical artists in honor of Justin Veatch, the Yorktown High School senior who died of an accidental drug overdose in 2008. Veatch was an exceptionally talented songwriter, singer and musician whose work was celebrated in the CD “Permagrin: The Music of Justin Veatch by The Ivoryton Piano Factory and Friends” distributed by Polyvinyl Records and also available through The Fund. 

Koller plans to specialize in jazz vocal performance at Hartt. She has performed extensively at and also in a wide variety of local charity events as well. This year Koller interned with a music therapist from the Westchester Conservatory and was inspired by the positive impact music has on autistic children.  

Cohen has also performed at First Fridays events and has participated in NYSMA, has been a member of the All Westchester and All New York State choirs as well as the St. Patrick’s Teen Choir. He has also appeared in several musical plays and recently had a song he wrote and recorded played on the radio.

"It is a great honor and privilege to receive such an incredible award," Cohen said.

The Fund is a non-profit organization that co-sponsors First Fridays open mic nights with The Yorktown Teen Center, a number of music education programs including a two day summer music workshop being held this year on Aug. 13 and Aug. 14 in Pleasantville, and an annual concert that affords an opportunity for local talented youth to perform an opening program for a well-known headliner.

A new effort in The Justin Veatch Fund’s outreach touches at the core of the Veatch family’s tragedy. Jeffrey Veatch, Justin’s father, delivers “A Message from Justin,” a 40-minute multi-media program that discusses dealing with adversity, what happened to Justin, and how young people can take better care of themselves and their friends.

"In the first year presenting the talk I have directly reached more than 2,000 young people of middle and high school age," Veatch said.

His outreach has included keynote appearances at The Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, Irvington High School and the county-wide SADD luncheon held at the Tarrytown Marriott last December. The talk can be scheduled by contacting Gina Wolfman at The Teen Sage at (203) 270-1398.

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