EAST HANOVER — College scholarships to four Morris County Vocational School District students were announced this week by the New Jersey Association of Counties Foundation at an event held on Wednesday morning, July 10, at the Morris County Board of Freeholders meeting in Morristown.
Recipients were Isabelle Chang of East Hanover, Rachel Thompson of Mt. Arlington, Sean Sequeira of Randolph, and Jaden Vnencak of Montville. All are recent graduates of the Morris County Vocational School District.
The scholarships were made possible by donations from Investors Bank, NJM Insurance Group and PSEG.
Morris County Freeholder Director Doug Cabana, NJAC Executive Director John Donnadio and Morris County School of Technology Principal Lynne Jackson joined corporate sponsors in presenting checks to the students.
“We are really proud of these outstanding Morris County students who are being honored today with scholarships for their academic excellence and for their involvement in their communities,” said Freeholder Cabana.
“The NJAC Foundation is grateful to Investors Bank, PSEG, and NJM for their continued generosity, which has provided the Foundation with the unique opportunity to help county vocational-technical school graduates pursue their education at home in the Garden State,” said NJAC’s John Donnadio.
Isabelle Chang of East Hanover received a $500 scholarship from Investors Bank Foundation. Isabelle will attend Rutgers University in the fall to study linguistics.
Isabelle is passionate about creating positive change, not just for herself, but for her community and even internationally. She has demonstrated this passion through projects such as assisting underclassmen in marching band and working provide clean water for villagers in Nicaragua. She is a founding member of the MCST Mock Trial Team.
Rachel Thompson of Mt. Arlington received a $500 scholarship from Investors Bank Foundation. Rachel will attend Rutgers University in the fall, pursuing biology and the pre-med program with the ultimate goal of becoming a pediatrician.
She intends – as a future physician — to pay it forward by helping children and families in need obtain the healthcare they require, particularly (she says) by providing free medical care to families who face the difficult decision of paying for medical care or life’s basic necessities.
Sean Sequeira of Randolph received an $850 scholarship from PSEG. Sean will attend Rutgers University in the fall to pursue studies in engineering with the ultimate goal of becoming a computer engineer. For four years, Sean he was a member of the Morris County School of Technology’s Robotics Club and was a member of the Engineering Team, which worked on a project clustering census data for the Prudential executive team last year.
Jaden Vnencak of Montville received a $1,750 scholarship from NJM Insurance Group. He will pursue studies biology at Rutgers University in the fall. Jaden is described a “complete member of his school community.” He maintained a GPA of 4.47, was captain of the boys varsity basketball team, and a member of the National Honor Society, National Technical Honor Society, MCST Peer Leaders and the multicultural club.
He serves his community as a national and state-certified emergency medical technician, and as an Eagle Scout with more than 300 hours of community service. He is also a drug court volunteer.
Investors Bank Foundation presented NJAC with a check for $21,000 for scholarships to county vocational-technical school graduates who will pursue higher education at a county college or state college or university. Two students from each of the state’s 21 counties received the $500 scholarships.
PSEG awarded the foundation a $12,000 grant for county vocational school graduates who plan to continue their education at a New Jersey county or state college to study environmental science, green design, green technology, alternative energy or related subjects. Scholarships for $850 were awarded in each county were PSEG maintains a service territory or generation facility.
NJM Insurance Group presented NJAC with a check for $5,250 for three $1,750 scholarships, which were awarded to a student in each county where the company has headquarters – Morris, Mercer and Atlantic.
For more information on the NJAC Foundation, visit: http://njac.org/njac-foundation/
