American Water announced the recipients of the 26th annual James V. LaFrankie Scholarship Awards. The awards were distributed nationwide to nine college-bound children of full-time American Water employees who demonstrate an interest in water-related industry occupational fields.
Out of 66 complete applications, an independent, third-party organization has selected nine of the high school seniors based on their outstanding high school records, academic honors, participation in extracurricular activities and teacher recommendations. The $1,000 scholarships are awarded for one year, and may be renewed for up to three years based on the student’s academic progress.
“We are proud to award these scholarships to such extraordinary students who not only achieved the highest academic standards but also have an interest in water-related industry occupational fields,” said Melanie Kennedy, senior vice president of human resources. “Since 1991, nearly 150 children have received those four-year scholarships. We believe in supporting talented young people who have so much to offer and who share our commitment to protecting public health. We congratulate all of our winners and look forward to witnessing their success and the great things they will accomplish in the future.”
The scholarship award recipients are as follows:
- Veronica Alday of Voorhees, N.J., daughter of Dante Alday, senior construction engineer in Mt. Laurel, N.J.;
- Catherine McGarry of Long Valley, N.J., daughter of James McGarry, operations representative in Long Valley, N.J.;
- Hayley Newman of Sellersburg, Ind., daughter of Aaron Newman., operations superintendent in Jeffersonville, Ind.;
- Jeri Oranski of St. Louis, Mo., daughter of George Oranski, senior design engineer in St. Louis, Mo.;
- Alexandra Pellock of Lumberton, N.J., daughter of James Pellock, corporate development director in Voorhees, N.J., and Lisa Pellock, financial analyst in Cherry Hill, N.J.;
- Allison Scalese of Egg Harbor Twp, N.J. daughter of Beth Scalese, lead compensation analyst in Voorhees, N.J.;
- Joshua Seals of Carmel, Ind., son of Michael Seals, engineering manager in Greenwood, Ind.;
- Emily Tierno of Marlton, N.J., daughter of Carmen Tierno, president of New York American Water.; and
- Alec Watts of Harrisburg, Pa., son of Richard Watts, senior software engineer inHershey, Pa.
The American Water Board of Directors established the scholarship program in 1991 in honor of former American Water president, James LaFrankie. LaFrankie demonstrated the value he placed on college education by earning a degree at Georgetown University night school while working days at the Alexandria Virginia Water Co., now known as Virginia American Water. After that, LaFrankie excelled, climbing the ladder to increasingly responsible positions over his 44-year career with American Water, retiring as the company’s president in 1991.
Source: American Water
