Monmouth County Students Receive 9/11 Memorial Scholarships

MONMOUTH COUNTY, NJ — Two students from Monmouth County were recently named as the recipients of $25,000 Generation 9/11 Scholarships by the Barasch & McGarry Charitable Foundation.

As the nation marked 25 years since 9/11, the Foundation held a "September 11th Descendants Scholarship Reception" granting
$150,000 in college scholarships to six graduating high school seniors selected by the September 11 Memorial & Museum who lost loved ones to 9/11-related illnesses.

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The event took place on the eve of the 25th commemoration of the attacks at 3 World Trade Center, overlooking Ground Zero.

Thomas Sheehan of Rumson and Gabriella Abate of Manalapan are amongst the six graduating high school seniors selected for the scholarships.

"While these six promising young people were born after 9/11, they are living proof that 9/11 did not end at midnight on the 12th," said Michael Barasch, Managing Partner of leading 9/11 legal advocacy firm Barasch & McGarry, which created and funded the scholarships. "For them, 9/11 has meant doctors, hospital visits, and lost loved ones."

"More people have now died of 9/11-related illnesses than did during the terror attacks, and we must continue to honor every victim and survivor," he continued.

Kenneth Feinberg, original Special Master of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF), recalled the herculean effort to create the VCF and how quickly Congress passed it into law to help victims' families avoid years of costly and uncertain litigation.

He went on to say that it was "a legacy that goes beyond victims and is a perfect example of the country's real character in times of crisis."

"How gratifying it is 25 years later for me to be introducing an award recipient who benefitted indirectly and then directly from the 9/11 victims compensation," Feinberg said.

Former Manhattan Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney shepherded landmark legislation including the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, to establish the World Trade Center Health Program, and the Never Forget the Heroes Act, which ensured the VCF's guaranteed funding through 2090.

She introduced Thomas Sheehan of Rumson, whose mother passed away this April of colorectal cancer contracted as a result of working in Lower Manhattan on and after 9/11. He is attending the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

"It is wonderful to be here among those who fought the hard-fought fight to ensure that the men and women who suffered illnesses as a result of 9/11 got the support and recognition they
deserved," Maloney said. "As we proved when we created this program, there are survivors, workers, and volunteers from every single congressional district in the country."

"We are so proud of Thomas Sheehan, who recently lost his mother," she continued. "This award is more than financial assistance, but it is a promise to remember and honor his family's sacrifice."

Former FDNY Deputy Chief Richard Alles was a Battalion Chief in Brooklyn and legislative chair for the Uniformed Fire Officers Association.

He introduced Gabriella Abate of Manalapan, whose grandfather, Joseph M. Abate Sr., was an NYPD electrician who helped restore power at Ground Zero.

He passed away from 9/11-related lung cancer in 2021.

A quarter century after the 9/11 attacks, CDC's June 2026 data show 145,275 current members of the World Trade Center
Health Program, including 88,583 Responders and 56,692 Survivors.

Since the first report in 2015, cancer certifications have increased 1,680% across the 9/11 community, and, specifically, 9/11 Survivor cancer certifications skyrocketed 4,066%, from 694 in September 2015 to 28,913 in June 2026.

Gabriella has already begun her education in Fashion Merchandising at Marist University's campus in Florence, Italy.

"Gabriella Abate's grandfather was posthumously awarded the NYPD Distinguished Service Medal, one of the few civilians to ever receive such an honor," Chief Alles said. "Watching him fight a disease he received while serving his city gave Gabriella a clear idea of what service really means."

Gabriella has already begun her education in Fashion Merchandising at Marist University's campus in Florence, Italy

Also in attendance at the reception were former Long Island Congressman Peter King, who was instrumental in passing the Zadroga Act; John Feal, founder of the FealGood Foundation; and former FDNY Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kerry Kelly.

Barasch McGarry Foundation's September 11th Descendants Scholarship will continue to accept applicants annually.