8 Huntington Seniors Receive Friends Of OHEKA Arts Scholarships

HUNTINGTON, NY — Eight Town of Huntington high school seniors pursuing arts education in college have been named the 2026 Otto Kahn Scholarship Award winners by Friends of OHEKA.

Each student will receive $2,700 from the nonprofit organization, which is dedicated to the protection, preservation and public awareness of OHEKA Castle.

The 2026 scholarship winners are:

• Favor Adewole, Half Hollow Hills High School East
• Maggie Deegan, Harborfields High School
• Jose Canas Garcia, Walt Whitman High School
• Matthew Jimenez, Huntington High School
• Emerson Mankin, Half Hollow Hills High School West
• Kate Sabellico, Walt Whitman High School
• Ryan Smith, Half Hollow Hills High School East
• Jamie Weissman, Northport High School

The students will continue their arts education in college this fall, according to Friends of OHEKA.

The nonprofit’s annual fundraiser, Brunch in the Formal Gardens at OHEKA, is scheduled for July 12, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will feature music, food, cocktails and prizes for the best Great Gatsby costumes, which are encouraged but not required.

Tickets can be purchased online through Friends of OHEKA.

Friends of OHEKA has raised more than $300,000 for high school seniors pursuing education in the arts, continuing the legacy of Otto Kahn, the builder and original owner of OHEKA Castle, who supported the arts.

Current OHEKA owner Gary Melius and the Friends of OHEKA board hope to continue that tradition through the scholarship program and fundraiser, the organization said.

Friends of OHEKA, Inc. is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the protection, public awareness and preservation of OHEKA Castle, which the organization describes as “a monument to a bygone era and a testament to Huntington’s commitment to historic preservation.”